


Until We Meet Again ➺ Loki Laufeyson [1]

by IsabellaKR



Series: Loki Series [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Action, Asgard (Marvel), Comedy, Death, Drama, F/M, Heartbreak, Hybrid - Freeform, Romance, Swearing, Vampires, Werewolf, Witch - Freeform, tribrid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29544417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsabellaKR/pseuds/IsabellaKR
Summary: A thousand years ago, a God and a mortal fell in Love. Yet fate tends to be cruel, feeding off of pain and suffering, and that's exactly what it did. With a smile on its face, Fate pulled the two lovers apart, banishing the God back to his realm and leaving the mortal lonely and loveless. Over a Millennia later, they are reunited, but neither are the same person they once were.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Loki Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170614
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

©Please do not steal my ideas and plot lines as that's classed as copyright. Thank you!

**WARNING!** This story will contain swearing, mentions of child abuse, mentions of suicide, depression, PTSD, mild sexual content, extreme violence and death.

If any of these are triggering to you, please do not read this story. Put your mental health first.


	2. 00. Prologue

**CHAPTER ZERO**

**PROLOGUE**

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_996 CE_

**_Loki_** often went to Midgard with his mother; not wanting to spend time alone or with his brother and his obnoxious friends. He's tried before, spending days with them, but they were far too different to get along. While they were loud and chaotic, he preferred peace and quiet, reading books and practising magic.

Surprisingly, the young God liked Midgard. It was a place with a different kind of magic and, just like his brother, the God Loki was praised on the strange planet. It made him feel equal to Thor, a feeling he rarely felt, knowing that his brother was most likely to be the next king of Asgard. He didn't necessarily want to rule, although he wouldn't be opposed to it - he only wanted to be seen as Thor's equal.

Women were usually the only ones who possessed magic on the nine realms. So, he wasn't seen as the most masculine, whereas, his brother Thor was the definition of masculine. For as long as he could remember, he was his brother's shadow. He loved his brother dearly, but at the same time, he loathed him, envying the praise he got from their people.

The God of Mischief didn't mind not getting as much attention from women and men. I'm fact, he wanted to wait for the one for him rather than use people for his own pleasure. However, it didn't mean he wasn't envious when women went for his brother, never sparing the God of Mischief a second glance.

Currently, he was walking through a small village on Midgard which was filled with kids, women and men. The people there seemed to be happy, getting along with one another. Although they did not have much, they were still happy and enjoyed their short lives, which he found admirable.

He and his mother walked into the forest, the smell of trees instantly making the young boy smile. A real smile, a smile which only decorated his face when he was alone or with his mother.

The two Asgardians stopped in their tracks upon hearing quiet groans of frustration. Frigga moved the green leaves of a tall tree to the side, revealing a small, clearly frustrated, girl.

 _"Phasmatos Incendia!"_ the girl spoke, staring at a small flower in her palms. _"Phasmatos Incendia!"_ She repeated, yet nothing happened.

Frigga frowned as she watched the young girl, who continued to struggle with her powers. She remembered when she was in the exact same situation, struggling to cast the easiest of spells. Surprisingly, Loki also showed sympathy for the young girl, knowing exactly how she felt.

Another sudden, male voice surprised them as they did not see the young boy sitting near the Midgardian girl. "That is the easiest spell, sister. I do not understand why you cannot cast it." He told her as he sat under a tree, setting a small flower on fire with ease.

The girl groaned in return, "Kol, please, be quiet or leave me be. Your constant whining is not helping at all," she spat, not even looking at the brunet boy as she spoke her mind.

Kol stood up with a loud sigh, "You are useless, Astrid," He told her, causing more harm than he ever intended.

As soon as the boy left, the blonde girl sat down on the ground, her small and fragile body getting enveloped by flowers of all colours. She put her hands over her face and let tears of frustration stream down her face, "I am useless." She cried quietly.

Without much thought, Loki walked towards the young, crying girl. He did not put much thought into it and regretted it as soon as he was only a few metres behind her.

Frigga smiled at her son and walked away, leaving him alone with the girl. At first, upon realising his mother was gone, Loki panicked, but he knew she'd never leave him alone on Midgard. She'd return to collect him soon enough.

Sensing that someone was behind her, Astrid spoke up, "Kol, if you are here to mock me, then leave." She said quietly, her head hanging as she stared at the green grass.

Loki sighed and took a step forward, "You must focus." He told her.

The unfamiliar voice made the blonde girl flinch and turn around, "Who are you?" She asked, quickly wiping the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Loki." He answered and gracefully took a seat beside her.

The girl tilted her head, "Like the God?" She questioned, eyes staring into his emerald ones.

He nodded, "Yes. Like the God. What is your name?" He asked with a friendly smile, something Loki rarely did.

The girl wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks and smiled, "Astrid," She held out her hand, which the boy shook hesitantly. "Are you a witch also, Loki?" She asked curiously, to which the boy nodded, "Can you show me?" She asked with big, hopeful eyes.

Loki was taken aback. Usually, people found it strange that he practised magic. But this girl was more curious and fascinated, rather than repulsed. "Alright." He murmured quietly and gently took her hands in his. A green mist engulfed their hands, making the girl tense in surprise. After a few seconds, the mist vanished into thin air and when they separated, a colourful butterfly appeared in Astrid's palms.

A wide smile appeared on the girl's face as she watched the creature, which soon flew away. "Fascinating." She gasped. "Will you teach me?" She questioned gleefully.

Loki paused, watching the girl. She was excited, happy and amazed. It made him feel wanted and appreciated, so, he agreed. "You must concentrate." He repeated his earlier statement.

The girl nodded, "I am concentrating." She told him with a small frown.

Loki sighed, "You must clear your mind and only focus on what you want to happen." He told her.

She sighed and picked a flower, _"Phasmatos Incendia."_ She tried, but nothing happened. A disappointed look appeared on her face, "My brother is right. I am useless." She whispered to herself.

Loki frowned, "You most certainly are not." He told her, "Close your eyes, focus and try again." He ordered.

Astrid breathed in deeply and did as he said. She closed her eyes and imagined the flower to be fire, _"Phasmatos Incendia."_ She chanted.

An excited smile formed on the blonde's face once she opened her eyes; the flower was on fire. She managed to use her magic properly for the first time ever.

A squeak escaped her mouth as she threw her arms around the raven-haired boy, "Thank you, Loki!" She exclaimed, bringing his head to rest on her shoulder as she sat on her knees.

Hesitantly, the God hugged the witch back, a small smile appearing on his face. For the first time in his life, he felt needed and he definitely enjoyed the new feeling.

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Thank you for reading!


	3. 01. A Millennia Later

**CHAPTER ONE**

**A MILLENNIA LATER**

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 **Four** black vans raced past the most rural parts of the UK, the dust off of the dangerous road lingering in the air as the car tires blew on the dirt. Inside the vans, everyone remained quiet, confused as to why they had to travel all the way to Europe with a man who threatened to destroy and rule Earth.

The Avengers, director Fury and Loki himself sat in the second van, following closely behind Maria Hill and Phil Coulson. "So, you kidnapped us all and took us to... the most deserted parts of the UK?" Tony Stark spoke up, getting tired of the silence in the vehicle.

The man with an eyepatch looked over at the billionaire, who was currently snacking on a chocolate bar. "It's not about where we are but about who's here," he replied, though his words only confused the Avengers further.

Natasha Romanova looked up, "If they're so important, why didn't you contact them in the first place?" she questioned.

"I didn't think the situation would become so severe," he told the team, quickly glancing at Loki, who's arm was tightly held by Thor, despite him having multiple handcuffs and strong, metallic chains which connected each cuff. "The person I'm taking you to isn't exactly beloved by SHIELD or my superiors," he explained.

Steve Rogers raised his eyebrow, "Who is it, some sort of killer?" he questioned.

Fury's serious expression confirmed the suspicion, "Yes." he nodded, making everyone take in a deep breath while Thor and Loki just listened in, "Some would describe her as a killing machine."

Bruce shared a look with Natasha, "If she's so dangerous, why haven't you arrested her?" he asked with, both, suspicion and curiosity.

The director took in a deep breath, "She's too strong, too fast and too smart. And over the years, we've learnt that it's better to have her as an ally, rather than an enemy." he finished just as the van began slowing down.

After a few seconds, the vehicle stopped altogether and the doors opened, allowing the people inside to leave. Thor harshly pulled on his brother's arm and lead him out of the van, the Avengers following close behind him.

The place really was, as Tony had previously stated, deserted. Only one house stood up proudly on a large, closed-off property. Trees and bushes littered the garden, a couple of small fountains scattered around as a decoration for the, otherwise bland, garden. The stone, castle-like building looked old, most likely from the eighteenth or nineteenth century, but it was nowhere near falling apart. "Hogwarts?" Tony laughed, making some agents chuckle quietly.

A few minutes after standing in the garden, the door had opened and a man in his twenties approached the group of people. "Hello," he spoke in an Australian accent. "I take it you are here to see--"

"Yes," Fury cut the man off before he could say the name.

The brunet nodded, "Unfortunately, she is not in at the moment--" a low growl came from their side, a grey wolf glaring at the agents, "Daniel, they are not a threat, so stand down," he ordered and the animal obeyed, turning around before walking in further between the trees.

Tony's eyes widened, "What are you, Dr Dolittle?" he questioned.

The man shook his head, "My name is Dominic," he finally introduced himself, "As I was saying, she is not in at the moment, but she should be back soon. Now, follow me," he smiled.

Only the Avengers, Director Fury and Loki entered the building, while the rest of the Agents remained outside. Much to the Avengers' surprise, the building was modernly decorated and very well lit. A pleasant scent of lemons lingered in the air as they walked up the stairs.

The corridors were completely empty, only old paintings decorated the walls and, occasionally, small tables with decorations on them. Finally, Dominic opened one of the doors and let the visitors inside.

The guests entered an office overflowing with books, along with candles and vials which were filled with suspicious liquids. Many herbs and plants stood on bookshelves, a desk and windowsill.

The desk stood right in front of the glass doors which lead to the balcony. A couple of picture frames sat on the wooden desk, facing the doors. A diary and a pen were also placed on the furniture, waiting for its owners return.

Thor sat his brother down on a chair in front of the desk and placed Mjölnir on his legs, forcing him to stay sat down. "This is unnecessary," the God of Mischief rolled his eyes.

The Avengers and director fury stayed up, having no other chairs to sit on. There was one, but it was for the owner of the desk and none of them approached it after Dominic stood behind it. "We will wait here. She should arrive shortly, I believe," he let them know.

They nodded while looking around, taking in their surroundings. There was a door between two shelves, leading to a room, which was locked away from everyone.

Natasha looked over at the bookcases, reading over the many titles and authors, "Shakespeare, L. J Smith, J. L Miller..." she muttered.

"Shakespeare?" Dominic spoke up in surprise, "She hates Shakespeare..." he raised his eyebrows.

Bruce Banner held out his hand, reaching for one of the old books on the shelves, but right before he grabbed it, a force field pushed his hand away. "Ow," he groaned, shaking off the mild pain.

Dominic chuckled, "Yeah, I wouldn't touch anything if I were you," he told them.

Everyone turned around to look at the wooden door as the doorknob turned around. A seventeen-year-old boy entered the room with a small smile on his face, "Sorry," he furrowed his brows, "I thought mum came back," he apologised.

Dominic nodded, "No need to be sorry, this is your home," he laughed, "What do you need her for, Erik?" He asked.

Erik walked in further and closed the door behind him, "I'm leaving in like two hours, I wanted to say goodbye," he explained. The boy then looked over at the numerous people who stood in the, surprisingly, spacious room, "I'm guessing they're waiting for her, too?" He asked his mother's right-hand man.

The brunet nodded, "Yes. They are from SHIELD, you've heard of them, haven't you?" He asked with a pleasant smile on his face.

Erik nodded in return, "Yeah, uh, I'll ring her and ask what's taking so long," he told them before taking his phone out of his pocket and calling his mother. He set his phone on loudspeaker and placed it on the desk so that everyone could hear. The two Gods looked down at the alien machine in confusion while it rang.

Eventually, the phone was picked up and a feminine voice spoke from the other side, _"Erik, darling, is everything alright?"_ She questioned.

Loki and Thor shared a look upon hearing her voice, but neither said anything. Fury smiled faintly, noticing the interaction between the two.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was wondering when you'd be back," he explained quickly, "I'm leaving in two hours and... SHIELD is here for some reason..." he informed his mother.

 _"SHIELD? Bloody hell,"_ she groaned, _"I'll be back soo-"_ the woman suddenly stopped talking.

A loud, rhythmic beeping sounded from her side. The sound caught everyone's attention, "Mum, what's that sound?" Erik asked in concern.

 _"A bomb..."_ the woman replied with a sigh.

Just as Erik was about to reply, a loud bang travelled through the phone before the connection was lost. Everyone went silent, the Gods' hearts beating fast as they recognised the voice, but didn't believe it was really the person they had seen as a close friend over one thousand years ago. Loki's heart stammered at the thought that his long, lost lover could still be out there, but he quickly pushed the thoughts back. Astrid Mikaelson was dead and nothing would ever change that.

It wasn't long before one of the doors in the building were slammed and the sound of heels clicking echoed throughout the house. The smell of smoke quickly reached them, before the woman even got to her office.

"Bloody witches," they heard the woman mutter, "This is the fifth time this month," she groaned, her voice becoming louder as she neared her study room, "Have they nothing better to do?" she finished speaking to herself upon opening the wooden door.

The Avengers glanced at the door as it was opened and a blonde, young woman stepped inside. Immediately, Erik ran into his mother's arms and gave her a bone-crushing hug, worry evident on his face. "Are you okay?" he questioned his mother.

The blonde nodded in return, "I'm alright. Go pack your bags, darling, I'll speak with you in a minute," she kissed her son's head and opened the door before letting him out of the room.

Once the teenager was gone, the woman walked to the other side of the desk, facing her guests, but mainly focusing on the God of Mischief, who sat in front of her. The Gods watched her in disbelief, not knowing how to react to seeing her again after millennia.

Tony was the first to speak up after noticing the looks that were shared between the Gods and Astrid, "You three know each other?" he asked, his finger drawing a circle in the air.

"Yes..." The blonde replied with a loud sigh.

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Thank you for reading!


	4. 02. Impossible

**CHAPTER TWO**

**IMPOSSIBLE**

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 **Thor** leaptfrom where he stood and rushed to the much smaller woman. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in the air, a wide smile gracing his features as happiness radiated off of him. The woman groaned in pain, hesitantly returning the hug before being let back down.

Once Thor returned to his earlier spot as Astrid leaned on her wooden desk, muttering, "I did not miss your hugs," she claimed. Thor just chuckled while Loki continued staring at her with widened eyes, not knowing whether he should say something or remain quiet.

"Is she also... like you?" Steve Rogers questioned the blond God.

"No," Loki spoke quietly, gaining everyone's attention, "She's human..." he told them. "Your father told me you were dead. This is impossible," he spoke, attempting to stand up, but Mjölnir restricted his movements, "How could I not see through the lie?" he questioned himself, a feeling of guilt suddenly making his chest clench.

Astrid sent him a soft smile, "That's because he didn't lie, Loki," she answered him.

Tony watched the exchange in confusion, "I'm sorry but what's going on?" he quizzed.

Thor looked over at the mortal, the smile never seeming to leave his face, "This lady here is Astrid Mikaelson. We believed she died over a thousand years ago," he explained.

Natasha knitted her eyebrows, "But you're a human," she stated dumbfounded. Thor, noticing his brother's tense posture and hurt-filled eyes, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The blonde chuckled before taking a seat on a chair behind the desks, facing Loki, "I was never human, but I used to be mortal," she explained.

Fury nodded faintly before approaching the desk and harshly placing a thick file on it. As Astrid picked her own file up, the director spoke, "Astrid Mikaelson, the only Tribrid in existence and the most dangerous creature on this planet," he spoke, "Also known as the most notorious serial killer and mass murderer in the last thousand years," he told them, making some of them take a step back in fright.

"Wrong," Astrid disagreed, "My brothers have killed far more people than I. I'd say I'm second or third, definitely not fourth." she corrected the director of SHIELD.

"There's more of you?" Tony questioned.

His question was, however, forgotten about when Loki spoke up, "Tribrid?" he asked. He was confused beyond belief. The last time he saw the girl, she was as sweet as honey and cared about the smallest of creatures, hurting when finding a deceased butterfly. But now she sat before him with empty eyes and blood on her hands.

Astrid shared a look with her former lover, "When we met, I was a witch," she told the Avengers while remaining in eye-contact with the God of Mischief, "A little girl who was afraid of hurting a mere fly. One night, upon the full moon, my brother, Henrik, was murdered by beasts known as werewolves," she explained. The humans all shared a look, struggling to accept the existence of supernatural creatures.

"Werewolves, witches... what is this, an episode of _Supernatural_?" Tony questioned in disbelief.

The Mikaelson laughed in return, "After the loss of my youngest brother, my parents searched for a way to make sure they would never lose another child again. You see, werewolves are natural predators so, where they could bite, we had to bite harder, be faster... agility, strength senses - we had to be better in every way." she hummed, drumming her fingers against the wooden desk as memories of her human life flashed before her eyes.

Steve Rogers frowned, "Couldn't you just leave?" he spoke while crossing his arms over his chest.

Astrid nodded, "We could, but Mikael, my father, was a prideful man. He would rather let us all die than flee," she scoffed before continuing with the story, "My mother asked a local Witch, Ayana, for help but she refused, saying my mother's plan was the beginning of a plague," she let out a sigh, "She wasn't wrong. One fateful night, my mother, who was also a witch, called upon the sun for life and an ancient white oak tree for immortality," she explained, "That night, Mikael offered us wine laced with blood... before driving his sword through our hearts."

"Mikael murdered you?" Thor gasped. He knew how much of a tyrant Mikael was but the God never expected him to murder his own children.

"That very same night, we awoke and Mikael forced us to drink blood from one of the girls in our village and... I have to admit, the feeling was extraordinary. I felt so powerful and strong... it was almost addicting." she looked deeply into Loki's eyes, "Over the next few weeks, we had faced many difficulties. The neighbours who once opened their doors for us would now keep them locked, preventing us entry. The tree which gave us immortality also had the ability to end the life it gave us and the flowers at its base burned and prevented compulsion. And the sun which gave us life burned our flesh... except for me..." she frowned.

Natasha took a step forward, deeply focused on the blonde's words, "Why not you?" she questioned.

Astrid smiled faintly, "You see, witches are servants of nature, a vampire, however, is nature's abomination," she spoke, finally shedding light on the creature that she was, "While my brother, Kol, lost his gifts, mine remained. I was both, so the sun did nothing to me. Not really a surprise when you learn I always was an abomination," she scoffed.

"You are not," The God of Mischief argued immediately.

The witch sent him a sad smile, "I wish that was the case. Something my mother had not anticipated was the hunger... for blood. It was the blood that turned us and it was blood that we desired above all else. A few weeks after we turned, I had killed for the first time. Unfortunately, it was also the night of the full moon and before long, I felt every single one of my bones break as I began turning into the very creature we feared... as did Niklaus," she continued speaking, "Mikael was a prideful man, but he was not the carrier of the gene. After learning of my mother's indiscretion with a beast, Mikael forced my mother to curse Klaus and I, so that we could never be our true selves. He then murdered my biological father."

Tony unwrapped a chocolate bar before taking a bite, "So, you're all three?" he asked.

The Original Vampire nodded in confirmation, "Yes. I am the only Tribrid in existence, making me the most dangerous creature on this planet. My brother and I broke the curse that was bestowed upon us, not too long ago," she let them know.

"How many of you are there?" Bruce asked, leaning on one of the walls.

"There used to be eight," she breathed out, "My oldest sister, Freya, died from the plague as a baby. Next is Finn, the oldest brother. He was killed after he and my mother ran after failing to kill us all," she rolled her eyes, though the crack in her voice betrayed her, "Elijah is the third oldest, he's the noble brother, hellbent on redeeming Niklaus from all his toxic traits," Astrid chuckled. "Then Niklaus, the hybrid - we share the same father and became significantly closer after turning," she looked at Loki, who knew the two didn't get along very well when they were mortal. "Kol is my older brother and definitely my favourite. He's brash and obnoxious. After losing his magic, he searched for a different way to satisfy his needs... which happened to be murdering people and having sex with every pretty little thing he saw. Dealing with his behaviour was more than exhausting," she spoke, looking at nothing particular as her eyes suddenly filled with tears, her voice cracking whilst she answered the question.

Loki noticed and leaned forward, his eyes locking with hers, "Astrid..." he whispered.

the vampire wiped a rogue tear from her cheek, "I apologise," she whispered, "He died not long ago... I am now searching for a way to bring him back while my selfish, back-stabbing wanker of a brother completely ignores the fact that--"

"Astrid..." Dominic, who was still in the room, spoke harshly upon noticing the flickering lights and the slight growling which was emitting from her throat. "We talked about this... control your temper," he reminded her.

Her long claws dug into the armrests of her chair, ripping the soft material apart. Her eyes were clenched shut as if she was in pain, and loud, animalistic growls emitted from her throat. Her breathing was erratic, though it was clear she was trying to control it, to calm herself down before she did something she might one day regret.

The Australian man grabbed a syringe from the shelf and approached his superior, ready to inject large amounts of vervain into her system before she, once again, lost control. Right before he injected the poison into her veins, she grabbed hold of his wrist and pushed him away, "I'm alright," she assured him before sitting up straight with a pained expression.

Hesitantly, Dominic stepped back but did not let go of the syringe, ready if she lost control yet again. The Avengers and Gods watched her sympathetically, not daring to move a muscle in case of ticking her off. 

"I was born after Kol," she muttered with a small smile, "Rebekah is my younger sister. Her heart is still full of love and hope, it's rather sweet, really. She might be a bit of a bitch, but it's not really a surprise considering my brother murdered all of her lovers in cold blood. Poor thing, all she wants is to start a family of her own but our cursed existence doesn't allow her that shred of happiness..." Astrid exhaled sharply, licking her lips before continuing to speak, "Then there's Henrik, who died as a child. I cannot remember much about him if I'm being honest. In fact, I can barely remember what he looks like." she finished with a small pause. "Now," her mood suddenly changed as she spoke in a chirpy tone, but Loki and Thor could still see the pain in her eyes, "Why are you here and what is it that you need from me?" she questioned.

Fury nodded and complied, not wanting her to lash out at them, "This is the Tesseract," he showed Astrid a photo of a bright, blue cube. "It was stolen from us, and we need to get it back. The fate of the entire world, or worlds, depends on it."

The Tribrid nodded, "Who stole it?" she asked curiously.

"Loki," Thor replied while glaring at his brother, who just rolled his eyes.

The vampire nodded, "Huh... I did not expect that from you," she muttered before diverting her attention back to Fury, "And you think that what, I can retrieve it for you?" she laughed, "I'm sorry to disappoint, love, but I have more urgent matters to take care of."

"Your brother can wait," One brave soul whispered.

Unfortunately for Steve, Astrid heard what he had said and before he could even blink, he was held against a wall by his neck, his feet no longer touching the ground.

"Shit... she's fast!" Tony Stark exclaimed.

Astrid ignored the comment and instead focused on the man she was currently threatening, "No, he cannot. He is, no doubt, getting tortured by my ancestors right now and I would not wish such pain upon my worst enemies!" she growled. "You see, witches, werewolves and vampires go to separate place than humans do after we kick the bucket. And the Original Vampires, which my brother is, aren't exactly well-liked amongst the dead, especially witches. I mean, the damned bitches have attempted to murder us multiple times, even after their deaths. So no, he cannot wait another bloody minute, Captain."

For the first time ever, the Avengers and Gods saw her true face. The whites of her eyes turned the colour of blood she fed on, her irises temporarily becoming black before turning into a bright yellow. Fangs, sharper than knives, perked from under her lips and her nails were replaced with large, animalistic claws. "Help..." the Captain whispered, his lips turning purple from lack of oxygen.

"I'm a killing machine, Captain. I could end your pathetic little life with the snap of my finger, so do not tempt me..." she growled before pushing him further against the wall and letting him go, allowing his feet to, once again, make contact with the floor.

Fury completely ignored the threat and began to speak, not paying attention to the super-soldier's wheezes as he attempted to fill his lungs back with oxygen, "I promise if you aid us, we will do everything in our power to help you in your search," he assured her. "We just need you to locate the Tesseract."

The woman scoffed, "I haven't used advanced magic in almost twenty years, I doubt I will succeed. However, I will see what I can do," she spoke before opening the door between the bookshelves, which was previously locked, and inviting them all to follow her.

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Thank you for reading!


	5. 03. Magic

**CHAPTER THREE**

**MAGIC**

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 **The** Avengers and two Gods followed the vampire into a dimly lit room. Books, parchments, old scrolls and even pages printed from modern sites littered the wooden floor. Everything was scattered and there was a huge pile of ripped up and crumbled pages in the corner of the room, making it clear it was frequently used for research purposes.

"Excuse the mess," Astrid apologised, "Ever since my brother died, all I've been doing is searching for a way to revive him. I sometimes spend days, if not weeks, in here," she confessed with an awkward chuckle before flicking her wrist and blowing all the pages into one corner of the room, being more delicate with the old, worn-out scrolls and parchments. 

"I am sorry for your loss," Loki finally spoke up, wanting nothing more but to comfort the woman he was once in love with. Over the millennia, he had managed to conceal his feelings, almost as if they were never there, turning him cold and distant from everyone around him. However, the feelings he once held were slowly starting to come out to the surface once again. Just the sight of her reminded him of the times when the two were happy together.

A soft smile tugged at the blonde's lips as she nodded towards the God, silently thanking him for his condolences. The group then gathered around a round table which stood in the middle of the room and watched as the vampire placed a large, old book on it. With a small wave, the book opened itself on a specific page.

Natasha moved behind Astrid and furrowed her brows at the sight of the book, "What's that?" she questioned.

The Mikaelson smiled in return, "A grimoire. It's a book of spells. Some of them are my mother's, but most are ones that I created or... copied from certain covens," she admitted with a small sigh.

"And... the language?" Stark added, leaning over her shoulder.

Astrid breathed out with a smile and shooed the two away, feeling trapped due to their closeness, "Old Norse and Latin. I wouldn't want anyone reading this," she winked at the physically older man. Tony nodded, mentally noting this information. 

Silently, the witch read the requirements for the spell and turned around before opening a drawer to retrieve a map of the world. She placed the large map on the table, placing small rocks on each corner to keep it in place, "People still use maps?" Tony questioned mockingly.

Astrid sent him a look, though a smile played on her lips, "I cannot find it with a GPS, Tony," she told him, "Magic isn't exactly technological." While she continued gathering the ingredients for the spell, she spoke, "I knew your father, Howard Stark..."

The Iron Man breathed in harshly, "Really? Were you one of his--"

"He was an absolute asshole," she faked a smile, expecting his son to be exactly the same, "Though his wife was an Angel. I am still wondering how he managed to find such an amazing woman," she scoffed before lighting a few candles around the map. "Loki, I need you," she told the God and waved a hand in his direction, urging him to come closer.

Loki, while still being held by Thor, approached the Mikaelson, standing right beside her. The closeness reminded him of all the minutes, hours and days they had spent together, practising magic and having fun. While avoiding eye-contact with the raven-haired man, Astrid grabbed a pocket knife and delicately took Loki's hand in hers. She held his hands above the map, the skin-to-skin contact sending shivers down their spines, making them both realise how much they missed each other, though neither would admit it. She quickly pricked his thumb with the point of the knife and let the drop of blood fall onto the map.

Loki removed his hands from above the map, but stayed in the same place, watching as the witch closed her eyes and concentrated on finding the missing object. "Phasmatos tribium, nas ex veras, sequitas sanguinem," she chanted.

Steve furrowed his brows at her words, "What language is she speaking in?" he questioned Director Fury.

"Latin," Bruce Banner replied immediately, "It's Latin."

Astrid reopened her eyes but the blood had not moved an inch, "Bloody hell," she cursed in annoyance before repeating the spell, "Phasmatos tribium, nas ex veras, sequitas sanguinem," she muttered, her arms rising above the map, but yet again, nothing happened. She tried again, focusing harder on finding the Tesseract but, once again, the blood remained in the same spot, not moving an inch. "Well, that's not good," she muttered. "The Tesseract is hidden, but I can try one more spell - a much more powerful spell."

The director of SHIELD nodded eagerly, "Whatever it takes," he told her.

The vampire nodded in understanding. She got rid of the map and brought the candles closer to her, "May I have the photo of the Tesseract?" she asked. Director Fury nodded and handed her the photo of the glowing cube. She took hold of the knife once again and turned to look at Loki, who was already watching her closely. He raised his hands up, ready to give up more of his blood, but she shook her head. She placed one hand on his cheek, making him let out a sigh of comfort upon feeling her warmth on his cheek. "Sorry, love," she clicked her tongue and wrapped some of his hair around her finger before cutting it off, "I know you would never, voluntarily, let me cut your hair," she giggled.

A small smile made its way onto Loki's face, "Not after what you've done last time. I was the butt of the joke for months," he rolled his eyes, momentarily forgetting the situation he was in.

Thor let out a booming laugh, "You did look rather hilarious, brother."

The vampire nodded in agreement, "That, you did," Astrid joined in on the laughing, her soft giggles making the Gods chests swell... because that night Loki wasn't the only one who lost someone special. While he did lose his lover, Thor lost one of his best friends and he was more than ecstatic to have her back. The God of Mischief rolled his eyes at the girl's laughter but an amused smile continued to play on his lips.

The Mikaelson placed the hair down on top of the photo of the Tesseract and made the candles circle around the photo. "Is this 'spell' different than the last?" Tony asked, snacking on some kind of sweet.

Astrid nodded with a smile, "Yes. Depending on how well the Tesseract is hidden, my apparition will either appear somewhere near the Tesseract and allow me to see it's location or I will see glimpses of it and the place it is in. Of course, there is also the possibility that it will not work at all," she looked over at Loki, "Though it would be much easier if you just told us where it is, love," she told him.

For the first time that evening, Astrid looked into Loki's eyes - really looked into them. She wasn't sure if it was just her memory of him that had faltered, or if it was something else, but she could clearly remember his beautiful emerald eyes, which were now light blue. The blonde shook her head in dismissal, blaming her memory for changing the detail of his eyes.

She lifted her hands over the picture and, with a small knife, she cut the skin on her palm, letting the blood drip onto the God's hair and the photo. "Phasmatos tribum nas ex veras, Phasmatos tribum nas ex veras, Phasmatos tribum nas ex veras..." she repeated over and over again.

The fire on the candles flickered and a gentle breeze, which made everyone shiver, suddenly appeared in the closed-off room as Astrid continuously repeated the spell. Her eyes suddenly opened, making everyone take a step back at the reveal of her fully-white eyes. Flashes of a laboratory, a blue cube and a scientist flashed before her, making her repeat her words in a harsher tone, feeling that she was close to finding the location of the magical cube. "Phasmatos..." the woman muttered quietly. A metallic taste appeared in her mouth and a warm substance trickled from her nose, onto her lips and down her neck.

"Astrid," Loki whispered as the vampire began choking on her own blood, her hands slowly starting to tremble as pain travelled through her body. "You big oaf, let me go," he ordered, but Thor continued to hold him in place. The coughing became more violent, forcing the white-eyed woman to lean on the wooden table in order to support herself as blood freely flowed out of her mouth like a small river. "Let me go!" Loki finally yelled, pushing the God of Thunder away from him and Thor made no attempt to stop him, sure he wouldn't try escaping in that situation. 

Loki grabbed the woman by her shoulder and pulled her up to face him. He gently tapped her cheek but she was unresponsive, stuck in her own mind. "Astrid, please," he whispered, continuing to gently tap her cheek with his hand, but the blood continued to drown her. "Darling, listen to my voice," he whispered, cupping her cheeks as a green mist suddenly surrounded her, "Please, my dear, come back," he whispered quietly just as the mist had vanished into thin air.

A now normal-eyed Astrid stared back at Loki, blinking rapidly before pulling away from him, "Gods, I hate magic," she muttered while wiping her own blood off her chin.

She leaned onto the table, trying to ignore the intense, throbbing pain that the spell had caused her. "What just happened?" Natasha commented in confusion and shock. Never, in her life, had she seen something like this happen to anyone. It was both strange and concerning.

Astrid laughed humourlessly, "Let's just say the ancestors aren't overly fond of me," she told her, quickly realising she would have no idea who the said 'ancestors' were, "Witches who have already passed, dear. Mainly the ones who were, in one way or another, related to me by blood. They only have access to my mind when I'm in my most vulnerable state, which just happens to be when I'm using spells which require much concentration," she explained before letting her eyes travel back towards the God of Mischief, who watched with concern-filled eyes, "Thank you," she whispered. 

The God of Lies was about to reply, but the Director of SHIELD beat him to it, "What did you see?" he asked, "Did you find the Tesseract's location?" he questioned.

Astrid shook her head, "No. I only saw glimpses of the Tesseract, some laboratory and a scientist. I do not know where it's located," she confessed.

"Can you try again?" Fury questioned, not at all caring about how much pain the advanced spell had caused her, or the danger she would be in if she attempted to repeat the spell.

Loki scowled, "Are you mad!" he exclaimed, "She almost died!"

"She can't die... not from this, at least," Fury argued, "Besides, if you'd just told us where the damned thing is, we wouldn't have to be here." he reminded the God, who looked down at his feet, "Can you redo the spell?" he asked once again.

Astrid shook her head, "Not if I wish to get trapped in my own subconscious..." she told him, "I am sorry I wasn't of much help," she apologised, "I hope you find what you are searching for."

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After the failed spell, all the Avengers left the building, the Gods following closely behind them. Some were, clearly, more eager to stay than others, like Loki, who wanted nothing more than to stay in the building and catch up with the woman he once loved, but he wasn't granted such luxury. Neither was Thor, who wished to stay back a little longer and catch up with his old friend who he'd missed with his entire being. He couldn't wait to return to Asgard and let everyone know she was, in fact, still alive.

While the Avengers and Gods went back to their vans, Erik entered his mother's study room. She was no longer bloody and in pain - she had a new set of clothes on and was sitting patiently behind her desk. "Mum," the boy spoke, gaining his mother's attention.

Upon hearing his voice, Astrid relaxed and let a bright smile take over her features, "Yes, sweetie?" she tilted her head as she gazed upon him with a certain softness in her eyes.

The boy approached the desk and sat upon it, a serious expression on his face, "I'm leaving in five minutes," he told her.

Astrid stood up and walked in front of her son, "What's with the frown, sweetheart? You love Iceland and the boarding school, do you not?" she smiled.

"Yes, of course," he replied with a chuckle, "It's not me I'm worried about, but you," he told his mother, who frowned in confusion, but she didn't dare interrupt him. She stayed quiet and waited for him to elaborate on his words, "You spend all day in this room trying to find a way to bring back uncle Kol. And I get it, he's your brother and you love him, but don't you think he'd want you to enjoy your life rather than spend every second of it searching for something that is almost impossible to find?" he asked seriously. Astrid's smile faltered and she looked down at her hands, which Erik took into his, "You should go have another adventure."

Astrid knitted her eyebrows, "What do you mean?" she questioned, confused by his words. 

"Go with SHIELD, I know you want to," he spoke as if it was obvious, "If what they're saying is true and there is a potential threat of the end of the world, your help will raise their chances of saving everyone significantly. You will save lives while the hybrids continue searching for a way to resurrect uncle Kol. I know Dominic and Ekon are always searching and you trust them. So, leave it to them and go save the world, okay?" he stood up and hugged the woman tightly.

"Alright," Astrid spoke with a smile, "I love you, darling."

"I love you, too, mum. Now, go!" he chuckled, kissing her cheek before the vampire disappeared from his sight. Before he even got to look out the window, he heard the engine of her car rev and before long, she was gone from the property, chasing after the black vans.

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Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**PRISONER**

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 **Tires** screeched as Astrid stopped her car rather drastically, parking right behind multiple black vans. A large, metallic ship stood before her, making her eyes widen and wonder when and how the human inventions evolved to this extent - Mere decades ago this would have been classed as science fiction. A part of her missed the simpler times of swords and kingdoms when cameras didn't exist and she didn't have to worry about getting caught while feeding or murdering. Though she couldn't deny that there were many perks about being alive in the twenty-first Century.

"Astrid," Director Fury smiled as he approached her with a knowing look, "We were waiting for you," he let her know before making his way towards the Hellicarrier, the vampire following closely behind him.

The witch knitted her eyebrows as she began climbing up the stairs which lead to the entrance of the flying ship., "You mean to tell me you knew I would follow you? Am I really so predictable?" she breathed out a small laugh, though curiosity glistened in her eyes.

The man with an eyepatch shook his head in disagreement, "No, but SHIELD has watched your every move for quite some time now," he answered, softly laughing upon noticing the woman's deathly glare, "Not in person, of course, you're too attentive for us to send spies. But we do have hidden security cameras everywhere. We've watched you for a while and quickly learned you would never give up an adventure or a chance to legally kill some people, Miss 'Greatest swordsman of the eleventh and thirteenth centuries," he spoke.

The blonde chuckled, "I see my reputation exceeds me," she laughed quietly as they entered a room where Loki was locked up behind a circular glass cell, a mischievous smile ever-present on his face.

The vampire hadn't even realised the Helicarrier had taken off and was already high up in the air. But quickly learned so after the director pressed a button and a large hole opened up underneath the cell. "In case it's unclear," he spoke to the prisoner, "if you try to escape, if you so much much as scratch that glass," Loki looked down, just to see how far away they were from the ground, "It's thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" he asked the God as Astrid leaned on one of the walls, deciding not to say anything, "Ant," he gestured at Loki, "Boot," he turned to gesture at the button as the hole closed up.

The God of Mischief took a few steps back while chuckling, continuing to stare at the director of SHIELD, "It's an impressive cage." Loki held up his hands, "Not built, I think, for me."

Fury didn't seem fazed, "Built for something a lot stronger than you," he let the God know.

"Oh, I've heard," he looked at the camera outside the cell, strangely aware of its presence, "A mindless beast, makes play he's still a man." In a different room, the Avengers listened to every word the God was saying, "How desperate are you," Loki looked back at Fury after glancing at the vampire, "that you call such lost creatures to defend you?" he taunted.

"How desperate am I?" Fury spat, "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill because it's fun," he walked closer towards the cell, standing on a two-metre bridge which connected the glass cell with the rest of the room, "You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Oooh," Loki breathed out, "It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?" he chuckled darkly, "A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."

Fury only smirked back before walking away from the God, "Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." he mocked with amusement in his voice as he walked out of the room, leaving Astrid alone with the raven-haired God.

While the Avengers continued to watch the prisoner through the camera, Astrid took cautious steps towards the cage, standing on the same bridge that Fury had previously stood on. "Hello again, Loki," she smiled at her former lover.

The God looked up with a small smile, "Astrid," he breathed out, "What brings you here?" he asked, his voice much softer than when he spoke with Nick. He wasn't sure why but the action was involuntarily and he internally scolded himself for doing so.

Astrid huffed, leaning on the railing of the bridge with her right hand, "What happened to you?" she questioned. Loki's eyebrows knitted together, "You used to be sweet, charismatic, funny and definitely not a mindless murderer. What happened?" she asked once again, her head tilting to the side.

Natasha scoffed, _"He used to be sweet?"_ she rolled her eyes while watching the recording.

Mischief's brother nodded in confirmation, _"To her, he was. He loved her..."_ he answered, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I'll tell you what happened," Loki raised his voice, "I was lied to my whole life! Everything I know is a lie. Odin is not my father, I am not of Asgard, and I never was an heir to the throne - they were all lies fabricated by Odin himself..." he spat angrily, but the outburst did not faze Astrid. She had seen scarier beings, and he definitely wasn't what everyone saw him as - a monster.

"So..." Astrid clicked her tongue, "You think it is your place to terrorise a neighbouring realm because of a tantrum you are currently throwing?" she questioned, getting the God angrier than he already was.

With a clenched jaw, Loki took a step forward, "Do not treat me like a child," he spoke through gritted teeth.

The vampire nodded with a small smile, "I will once you stop acting like one," she told him before turning serious, "Loki, this is madness. All this havoc is unnecessary and could be avoided. I understand you feel betrayed and alone and I know how horrible that feeling is, but this isn't you." she told him.

Steve Rogers looked over at Thor, _"She knows him that well?"_ he raised his brows in question.

The God of Thunder nodded with a smile, _"Some would say she knows him better than me,"_ he spoke lowly.

Loki sneered, "You act like I am the only one who's changed. They speak of you as a monster deserving death yet you lecture and judge me!" he shouted.

The vampire shook her head, "I am not judging you, Loki. I can see you are hurt and I know that, once this is all over, you will regret your actions. I simply don't want you to have all this blood on your hands," she explained, her voice remaining soft the whole time.

Loki's breathing slowed and his face relaxed, though his fists remained clenched, "And what happened to you?" he quizzed, looking deeply into Astrid's green eyes.

The woman smiled, "I watched as Klaus ripped my mother's heart out of her chest and did nothing," she spoke and walked closer to the cell, the tips of her shoes touching the thick glass. "We promised each other to never speak of it to a single soul, so we blamed it on Mikael. We watched as our siblings rose against him, finally seeing him as the monster he truly was. He left and we were sure we were finally rid of him forever, but we weren't. He hunted us for centuries, never stopping - so we fled. We fled for centuries from a monster who wished nothing more but to rid the world of the abominations his wife had created," she spoke with a blank face, her voice coming out as monotone.

Captain America listened to her words sympathetically, _"She's been through a lot."_

 _"She has been... even as a human,"_ Thor replied, _"Her father was one of the most cruel men I've ever met. He abused her mentally and physically, making her feel like an outcast and abomination. I cannot imagine how she managed to survive a millennium with him on her trail..."_ he spoke.

Natasha looked down at her hands, understanding what it's like to be terrorised by a tyrant, _"He sounds like a monster,"_ she admitted.

Thor nodded, _"He was."_

Upon hearing Astrid's words, Loki realised that the two were more similar than different. They were both lied to about who and what they truly were and when they acted out, they were seen as irredeemable monsters, "So your father-"

"Mikael is not my father," Astrid replied.

"Right," he breathed out, "Mikael, after all those years of abuse, attempted to murder you..." he spoke, more to himself than her.

Astrid nodded, "Yes. And he almost succeeded many times. He was the villain in my story and I was the villain in his. When someone sees you as nothing more than a monster, you slowly start to become the very thing everyone believes you are. You are redeemable, Loki. I am not - I have caused far too much destruction and death in my life, but you still have a chance... you can save an entire planet and--"

"I cannot..." he replied, almost shamefully, while looking down at his feet. "And do not try convincing me--"

"I will not," Astrid shook her head. "You have a set goal, all I can now do is protect my family and make sure that the wrath of the person, who is currently controlling you and your actions, will not reach my family," she spoke, looking straight into his bright blue eyes.

Loki looked up at her with wide eyes, "Controlling?" he swallowed thickly.

"See you later, love," she smiled before vanishing from his sight.

 _"Well, that was a rollercoaster..."_ Bruce admitted after a minute of silence.

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Thank you for reading!


	7. 05. The Cube

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**THE CUBE**

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 **The** recording of Loki's cell disappeared from the screen as Astrid entered a room where the Avengers and the God of Thunder were gathered, silent discussions taking place. 

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce Banner commented sarcastically, his hands hidden in the pockets of his trousers.

The blond super-soldier sighed out, glancing at the vampire who had decided to take a seat beside him, "Loki's gonna drag this out," he spoke, "So, Thor, what's his play?" he asked the Asgardian.

Thor didn't move from his place while he spoke, "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known." He explained and finally turned around before approaching the table they sat around, "They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract," he told them, standing beside the girl he once called his friend and considered as family.

Steve Rogers tried not to show fear, but his widened eyes betrayed him, "An Army." He sighed, "From outer space." He and Natasha shared a look.

Bruce took off his glasses, "So, he's building another portal," he spoke confidently, "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for," he stated.

"Selvig?" Thor spoke up, familiar with the name.

"He's an astrophysicist," The Hulk replied.

Thor nodded, "He's a friend," he told the team.

Astrid looked up at the God, a small smile forming on her face, "Is he not friends with your Mortal... Jane, was it?" she asked curiously.

The Norse God smiled, "You know her?" he quirked in question.

The vampire chuckled, "After your little mishap on earth last year, I've decided to fund her research. I figured she's important to you," she sent a warm smile his way.

"Thank you," Thor replied, placing his hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"This is nice and all," Natasha cut in, "But Loki has him under some kind of spell," she told them before sighing, "Along with one of ours."

Steve's stern voice reached everyone, "I wonder why Loki let us take him," he spoke while in thought, "He's not leading an army from here."

Bruce slowly approached the table, "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats," he spoke, insulting the God of Lies, "You could smell crazy on him."

Astrid stood up with a huff, "Be careful how you speak, Banner," she warned with a threatening glare.

"Yes," Thor agreed as the girl walked over to stand beside him, "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Agard. And he is my brother." he reminded the group.

Natasha kept her eyes on the table, her fingers playing with the hairs at the back of her neck, "He killed eighty people in two days," she revealed.

"That's it?"

"He is adopted," Thor spoke, cutting Astrid off before looking down into her eyes, "What do you mean 'that's it?'?" he questioned.

The vampire raised an eyebrow, "I've killed more in ten minutes," she revealed, "Granted, it was during the war, but still..." she pointed upwards with her index finger.

Suddenly, Bruce spoke up, changing the subject completely, "I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need the Iridium for?" he pointed out.

"It's a stabilising agent," both Tony Stark and Astrid spoke up, sharing a look right after.

The billionaire raised his eyebrows, "Well, hello, Fangs," he smirked, but only received an eye roll from the vampire, "Who let Dracula's daughter on board?" he questioned.

Astrid chuckled, "I let myself on. I don't need an invitation to enter government property, and even if I did, this isn't anyone's home," she pointed out. "And please tell me that is not the bloody nickname you came up with, Stark!" she growled.

"It's not, still trying to think of one." He shrugged his shoulders, "It means the portal won't collapse on itself," he returned to the matter at hand, "...like it did at SHIELD." He held his hand up in defence upon approaching Thor, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." he tapped his bicep, making Thor glare at him while Astrid let out a laugh. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long, as Loki wants." he approached a set of monitors as the Avengers continued to watch his movements, "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." he ordered, but all the SHIELD agents did was look at him like he was crazy, "That man is playing Galaga," he pointed at one of the agents, "He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He then proceeded to cover his left eye with his hand, "How does Fury even see these?" he questioned, gesturing at the monitors which stood on, both, his left and his right.

"He turns," Maria Hill, a SHIELD agent, answered.

Tony sighed, "Sounds exhausting." He commented before approaching one of the monitors and clicking on it, "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy-density." he continued moving things on the monitors, "Something to kick-start the cube," he explained.

Maria Hill raised an eyebrow, "When did you become an expert in Thermonuclear Astrophysics?" she questioned the older man.

"Last night," The man replied with a serious expression on his face, "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers." he spoke, "Am I the only one who did the reading?" he raised his arms in disappointment.

"Tin-man, I wasn't even aware Thermonuclear Astrophysics was a thing until five seconds ago," Astrid replied in a monotone voice, her eyes closing temporarily. She might have been a vampire with endless resources, but she was never that interested in advanced science, she preferred art and music.

Tony pointed a finger at her after hearing the nickname, "Not cool," he scolded, making her laugh.

Steve rolled his eyes, "Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" he asked the billionaire.

Behind Captain America, Bruce was pacing back and forth, "He would have to heat the cube to a hundred-twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." he told everyone.

"Unless..." said Tony, "...Selvig has figured out how to stabilise a quantum tunnelling effect," he spoke while walking in the direction of the Hulk.

Bruce nodded, "Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy-ion fusion, at any reactor on the planet," he expanded on Tony's suggestion.

The billionaire smiled at the scientist, "Finally, someone who speaks English," he walked over to Bruce and shook his hand.

"Is that what it was?" Steve scowled.

Astrid bit the inside of her cheek before letting out a deep sigh, "I know thirty-seven languages, including three dead ones and I, too, am quite confused, Captain..." she assured the man that he wasn't the only one who didn't know what had just happened.

The two scientists shook each other's hands while sharing a respectful smile, "It's nice to meet you, Mr Banner," Stark told the man, "Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green-rage monster. Stronger, I think, than blondie over there," he pointed at Astrid.

The Tribrid narrowed her eyes, "You believe the Green Goblin is stronger than me?" she laughed out loud, "Oh, please, that's just ridiculous." she rolled her eyes.

Just as Stark was about to reply with a smart remark, Director Fury walked into the room, the tail of his black coat trailing behind him. "Dr Banner is only here to track the cube," he revealed to the group, "I was hoping you might join him," he told Stark.

"I would start with that stick of his," Captain America chimed in, "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon," he revealed.

Astrid raised a brow, "That's because HYDRA got help from witches..." she told the man, who looked at her with surprise.

"I don't know about that," Fury cut in, "but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys," he spoke, eager to find out how the Tesseract worked.

"Monkeys?" Thor questioned, dumbfounded, "I do not understand." he stated.

"I do!" Steve Rogers pointed at the God, "I understood that reference," he smiled widely while Stark rolled his eyes at him.

Astrid placed her hand on Thor's shoulder to gain his attention, "They're fictional creatures from a Midgardian fairytale," she sent him a smile. Thor nodded in understanding, thankful for the explanation.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Stark asked the scientist.

Banner nodded, "This way, sir," he gestured at the door. Together, the two men left the room, leaving The Avengers, God, vampire and SHIELD agents behind.

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Everyone on the ship had gotten a room - some smaller and some bigger than others. Astrid's room wasn't either small or big, it was cosy, yet bland. The vampire sat on her bed patiently, her eyes staring at nothing in particular when the door was opened and the God of Thunder let himself inside. The blond man walked over to the woman and sat beside her, neither saying anything.

Astrid's head landed against his shoulder, a loud huff escaping her mouth. "A lot has changed in a thousand years, hasn't it?" she spoke softly with a small smile etching on her face.

Thor breathed out a humourless laugh and nodded, "Indeed," he paused briefly, "We mourned you. Loki was affected by your death the most... he mourned for centuries, we feared he would never move on," the God revealed. "But we all mourned your death - the entirety of Asgard. You were our beloved Midgardian," he laughed at the memories.

"Jane better not steal my title," The blonde chuckled before lifting her head off of Thor's shoulder, "They were much simpler times," she admitted with a sad smile tugging at her lips.

"She will not. Asgardians enjoyed your presence far too much to replace you," he laughed before turning serious, "Heimdall could not see you. Why is that?" he questioned more himself than he did her.

The Mikaelson looked up at her friend, "Because I am dead, Thor... kind of. While a part of me is alive due to my werewolf and witch side, the vampire part is much more dominant. You could say I am Ninety Percent dead," she laughed. "Heimdall sees all that is living, which I am not," she added.

The God nodded, "Is your whole family..." he paused, unsure how to phrase his sentence.

"Made up of Homicidal maniacs?" she asked with a snort, "Yes. The first few years were the most difficult as we struggled to contain our hunger and not slaughter villages," she confessed. "Finn seemed to be the most affected by the innocent deaths that he was the cause of, which was strange coming from the eldest son of a Viking," she shrugged. "In the twelfth century, we found out about the existence of silver daggers which could put an original into a comatose state after being driven through our hearts. They do not work on Klaus and me, but they do work on the rest of our siblings. Finn had been daggered for over Nine-hundred years before getting released. All my siblings had, at one point, faced the same fate, but were all eventually released." she told him while looking down at the floor.

Thor nodded, "Who sent them to such a cruel fate?" he questioned, eager to find out more about her family.

Astrid let out a deep sigh, "Mainly Klaus. I had done so twice on Rebekah. It wasn't out of spite and I wish it weren't necessary, but I had to in order to keep us all alive. Rebekah fell in love frequently and struggled with leaving the men she fell for, even when Mikael had been hot on our trail. So, from time to time, her actions forced me to dagger her..." she exhaled sharply.

Thor nodded in understanding, "Have you?" He paused, licking his lips before he spoke again, "Have you fallen in love again?" He asked seriously.

A small smile made it's way onto Astrid's lips, "Rarely. Yet, after many heartbreaks, I have given up altogether. After a thousand years, I've realised I only seem to attract sociopaths, with Loki being the exception," she bit the inside of her cheek. "Thor..." she called after a small pause.

The God finally looked into her eyes, "Hmm?" He asked.

Astrid stood up and ruffled his hair, "I hope we become as close as we once were," she nodded and left the room, leaving Thor all alone with his thoughts and endless memories of the past.

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Thank you for reading!


	8. 06. Regrets

**CHAPTER SIX**

**REGRETS**

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 **A shallow** breath left Astrid's lips as she quietly entered the cell room that Loki was currently residing in. The God was calm, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared ahead, seemingly at nothing at all. His eyes held a certain void in them, no emotions showing up on those cold, blue eyes of his, which made an uncomfortable chill run down the vampire's spine as she continued to observe him.

She stood silently at the entrance of the room, her breathing calm and regulated as she stared upon her ex-lover with soft and curious eyes. A part of her refused to believe this was the man she was once in love with; she sweet man who taught her how to properly use her own magic, never even daring to raise his voice at her. Where was that man gone, she wondered, hoping that maybe someday, whether it be in a couple of years, centuries or even millennia, that man would return.

With a small step forward and a click of her high heel, the God finally turned around, his eyes narrowed in surprise at the sudden presence in the room. "Astrid," he breathed out, a faint smile tugging on the corners of his pink lips, "What brings you here?" he questioned. 

Astrid grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and placed it in front of the glass cell, a small smile present on her lips, "I figured you'd like something to read," she replied. Carefully, she opened a letter-box like opening in the metal part of the cell and pushed the book through it. As Loki took hold of the book, his eyes scanning the cover of it, she sat down on the hard chair, her eyes continuing to stare at the God before her. 

As Loki opened the thick book, slowly flipping through the pages, he sighed. His eyes soon locked with Astrid's, making his eyebrows knit together, "Will you sit there and watch me in silence?" he wondered out loud.

With a small shrug, Astrid stood up from the metal chair, the tips of her shoes touching the thick glass, "I thought you'd rather be in the presence of someone familiar rather than a SHIELD agent. But if that's not the case then I'll take my leave," She sent him an apologetic smile before grabbing the back of the chair, ready to walk away, but Loki's voice stopped her in her tracks. 

"No," he pleaded in a whisper, "Stay."

Hesitantly, Astrid turned back around and sat back on the chair, her green eyes locking with his blue ones. Loki tensed under her analysing gaze, which was incredibly cold and distant, compared to the one he was used to. Memories of them together, laughing, flashed before his eyes. The carefree look she once had in her eyes no longer visible, taken away from her by the man who claimed to be her father. 

They both changed and neither could do anything to help the other. 

Loki cleared his throat, "You have a son," he broke the silence which enveloped them. 

She nodded in confirmation, "Yes I do," she tapped her fingers against her thigh, "His name is Erik Mikaelson - He was born in 1995." 

The long-haired God let out a soft exhale, "Where is his father?" he questioned. When Astrid shrugged in reply, his eyes widened, a strange feeling of anger building up in his chest, "Have you raised him by yourself?" he gasped. 

Astrid nodded gently, "Yes, I have," she confirmed, "It is not his father's fault, however. He is not aware of Erik's existence, in fact, he's as good as dead," she let him know, which only made the God more confused. She released a small sigh before continuing to speak, "On May Tenth, 1994, he was sent to a prison world after murdering his brothers and siblings. A prison world is a replica of Midgard, but with only him in it. Utter isolation no doubt driving him insane every day of his life," she explained before adding, "I found out about my pregnancy a few months after his disappearance. He has no idea about Erik's existence and I highly doubt he ever will."

"Your son," he began, "Is he like you?"

A soft hum sounded from her as she thought, "He was born as both a werewolf and a witch, though he also showed Vampiric capabilities ever since he was a baby - such as super senses and healing," she bit the inside of her cheek, sucking on her teeth before speaking further, "However, he is not a vampire and he is a, what some would call, a mutated witch. He cannot generate his magic, only steal it from other's which is something he inherited from his father. Unfortunately, I was forced to block that side of him out." 

Loki tilted his head, his eyes never leaving the vampires' as he took a step forward, "Why?" he quizzed. 

The woman exhaled sharply, "His magic was uncontrollable and by the age of five, he almost murdered multiple people - not on purpose, of course. I searched for years to find a way to make his powers controllable, or at the very least less powerful, but I got nowhere. I got desperate. So, not wanting my son to have blood on his hands before he even reached puberty, I reached his grandfather - from his father's side of course. He created an unremovable bracelet which blocked out Erik's magic, allowing him to have a normal childhood. Well, as normal as it could possibly be with a mother like me," she explained, never once showing regret for her choice. 

The God nodded, though his eyes narrowed slightly, "So, he is aware of his capabilities?" he interrogated. 

Astrid scoffed, "What kind of mother do you take me for, Loki?" she grumbled in offence, "Of course he is. I would never hide something so important from him. Surprise, surprise, I am not like Esther, nor Odin... I do not keep secrets from my own son." She shook her head, her eyes closing momentarily, "Besides, it is possible to undo the spell. One simple sentence and the bracelet will come off his wrist. All he needs to do is ask, but he never did, calling magic a burden as it reminded him too much of his absent father." 

Loki looked down at his feet, his eyes refusing to meet hers, no matter how much she wished to meet his gaze. Loki slowly realised she no longer was the woman he once knew - the shy and quiet girl now gone, replaced by someone powerful, independent and confident. She was a warrior who cared about no one but the ones she loved. A part of him was afraid of everything she was capable of, certain her powers could match those of a God.

"How about you, _my love_ ," she teased, the old pet name taunting him as she stood up to be closer to his height, yet he still towered over her, "What happened after-"

"I mourned you, Astrid," he spat through clenched teeth, "I-"

A humourless laugh sounded from Astrid, "What a brave little ant you are, daring to cut me off," she glared at him with fervour in her eyes, "You may continue, but if you cut me off one more time, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs."

"I mourned you," he scoffed through clenched teeth, cutting her off, "I-"

A mocking smirk appeared on his face, "Of course," he responded, sarcasm lacing his words before he repeated his earlier statement, "I mourned you. For centuries on end. I mourned your death until the very day I learned you are still alive. I searched relentlessly for a way to bring you back to me because I loved you more than anyone else I have ever loved. I could not function properly with the knowledge that you were gone and I could do nothing to change that," he told her. Astrid looked down at the ground, a small huff escaping her soft lips. "All of Asgard mourned your death, so much so that Odin ordered to have a statue built of you, to honour your death as if you were one of the Gods. They saw you as family, Astrid. _I_ saw you as family. You do not know how much it hurts to learn that the person you once loved, cherished and _mourned_ turned out to be alive and better than ever. Let me enlighten you... it is a horribly painful feeling that I would wish upon no one." He let her know, his fists landing against the cold glass as he stared down at the Mikaelson. 

Astrid rubbed her hands over her face and exhaled a shaky breath, "And for hurting you, I am truly sorry," she apologised, her voice laced in shame and regret.

"Your death affected us all," a sudden, gruff voice spoke from behind her. Astrid flinched, looking over her shoulder to set her eyes upon the God of Thunder who stood at the entrance of the room, "I must agree with my brother, your appearance was a painful shock," he spoke whilst walking towards the two, stopping a mere metre away from Astrid. 

The woman scoffed, her head shaking as her eyes narrowed, "Are you two really this daft?" she questioned the brothers. "You two really believe I simply carried living my life as if nothing ever happened? Do you believe I forgot about both of you? Do you really think I stopped caring after I became this - this blood-sucking monster?!" she argued, her voice rising as her nails dug into her palms. She wasn't sure what was worse; how deeply her 'death' had touched everyone on Asgard, even Odin, or that the two men thought so low of her. 

Thor's eyes widened, his head in disagreement, "Astrid-"

"No!" she shouted, the lights flickering inside of the room, "I have been attempting to contact you both for centuries. I have sacrificed my own health and safety whilst searching for different ways and methods of getting to the two of you. I have yelled Heimdall's name from the top of my lungs, hoping that he would eventually hear my cries. I am not sure whether he ignored me all those years or if he simply did not see me because, technically, I am more dead than alive, but I have tried _everything_." she looked between the two brothers, her eyes glossing over with tears of frustration and centuries worth of pain and suffering. Yet before any tears managed to roll down her cheek, she got her emotions under control, her breathing hard and deep as she began to calm herself down. 

Her figure shook under their eyes, making them share a look as they contemplated how to react to her outburst, "Dear," Loki whispered. 

"And if my pain was not enough," she spoke again, her voice shaky as she struggled to keep her emotions under control, "My siblings deemed me as unstable... insane. All because their dear little sister was speaking of Gods, saying her dear friend, who had mysteriously disappeared fro the village, was the one and only God Loki. In fact, if I was not of werewolf descent, I would not be standing here right now because I would be rotting in a bloody coffin, which Klaus had already prepared for me before attempting to draw a dagger through my heart. So, instead, he made me promise to stop with all the 'nonsense'," she quoted with her fingers as a single, start tear rolled down her cheek, "Because we had much more urgent matters to take care of than the fictional beings I made up... such as Mikael,"

Loki closed his eyes as he listened to her words, the shake in her voice showing just how hurt she really felt. Thor, on the other hand, looked up, refusing to meet anyone's gaze, "You listened to him," The God of Mischief whispered. 

Astrid laughed, "Oh please, I have been a pain in Klaus' ass for the last Millennia, of course I did not listen to him. I continued my searches in secret, hoping that one day I may find a useful lead, but that day never came. Yet I never gave up, even after Kol's death. So don't you dare accuse me of not doing anything to get back to my best friend and the love of my life because I have done everything I possibly could and more. You two were my family..." she whispered, her eyes suddenly lacking any emotion. Before any of them had the chance to speak, she turned around and disappeared from their sight, leaving the two alone.

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Thank you for reading!


	9. 07. A 'Team'

**A 'TEAM'**

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 **Astrid's** feet dangled off a desk as she sat upon it, snacking on some chocolate she was given by Tony Stark. Strangely, the scientist was more than interested in her lifestyle and kept asking her questions about her long and immortal life.

Whilst Tony and Bruce continued working on locating the Tesseract, the billionaire also spoke to Astrid, "So, tell me, Buffy, how strong are vampires?" he questioned the immortal being.

The Mikaelson hummed in thought, "It depends on how old the vampire is and how well-fed they are. Using my vampire side alone, I can lift about ten times more than what the average bodybuilder can manage," she smiled. "Yet the werewolves are the real brutes - when in their true form, of course. So, if I combine both strengths, I can lift about twenty times more than the average bodybuilder, so about two tons easily. However, if adrenaline kicks in, I can lift about three to four tons." she explained with a small smile, "And wasn't Buffy the slayer?" she chuckled.

The billionaire hummed, watching as the vampire continued eating the bar of chocolate, "So, you can eat human food?" he narrowed one eye, "Or is it because you're also a witchy werewolf?" he asked curiously.

"No, no, vampires can enjoy human food, too, though it's not necessary for our survival," she explained, "Before you ask, yes, we are naturally cold because we cannot generate our own blood, which is why we desiccate if we do not feed for too long," she added, knowing that question was going to come up sooner or later.

"Right," Tony licked his lips, "Wait, how _do_ you feed?" he asked the woman, who didn't seem too bothered about answering the questions. In fact, she was happy; Tony didn't treat her as a monster and instead of assuming things, he asked her questions. It was something new for the vampire and she enjoyed how the superhero treated her.

"Well," Astrid scratched the back of her neck, "I prefer to drink straight from the vein, warm and fresh," she breathed out a laugh as Bruce sent her a disgusted look, "But there are vampires who like to use blood bags instead. My method is; snatch, eat, erase," she smiled, "First, I capture my victim, then I compel them to not move or scream unless I feel like playing with them a little. I then drink from them - enough to satisfy me, but not enough to kill them... unless I'm in a bad mood. When I'm done feeding, assuming they are still alive, I feed them my blood - which heals their wound - and compel them to forget everything that happened. That way, I can walk away without any witnesses," she fully explained the process.

Tony tapped a pen against his left hand, "Interesting. So you can compel people to do your bidding and, overall, control them?" The vampire nodded in confirmation, "And your blood has healing properties?" he asked, "It can heal anything?" he half-sat on a desk he was working on.

Astrid bit her bottom lip in thought, "I believe so, yes," she answered honestly.

Just as Tony was about to ask another question, Director Fury marched inside the room, "What are you doing, Mr Stark?" he questioned the scientist.

"Uhh," The billionaire hummed, "kind of been wondering the same thing about you," he revealed.

The Director stopped in the middle of the room, staring straight at the billionaire, "You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," he reminded the man who jumped off the desk.

"We are," Bruce responded in a monotone voice, "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile." he explained.

Tony nodded from beside Bruce, "Yeah, then you get your cube back. No muss, no fuss," he said as an alert appeared on his monitor, "What is Phase Two?" he questioned the man with an eyepatch.

Just as Tony spoke, Steve Rogers entered the room and slammed a gun onto the table. "Phase Two is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," he revealed.

Interested by the machine, Astrid jumped off the table she sat on and approached the supersoldier, thoroughly inspecting the weapon.

"Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me," Steve told Stark.

"Rogers," Fury sighed and took a few steps towards the man in blue, "we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making..." he was cut off by Tony.

"I'm sorry, Nick," the billionaire spoke up, "What were you lying?" he perked his eyebrows at the director and turned his monitor around, revealing a plan for a new, technologically advanced weapon.

Steve scoffed, "I was wrong, Director," he said as the God of Thunder and Natasha entered the room, "The world hasn't changed a bit," he spat.

"You've just realised?" Astrid snorted, knowing how corrupted everything and everyone was.

Bruce looked over at Natasha, who worked for SHIELD, "Did you know about this?" he asked the red-headed assassin.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" she suggested with a raised brow.

Bruce laughed humourlessly, "I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed." Banner reminded her.

Natasha took multiple small steps in the doctor's direction, "Loki is manipulating you," she told him, the look on her face nothing but serious.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?" he pointed out.

Natasha shook her head in dismissal, "You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." she added, stopping right in front of him.

"Yes," Bruce admitted, "And I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy," he replied just as seriously as he grasped a monitor and pointed at it, "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction," he spoke, aiming his words at the director and assassin of SHIELD.

"Because of him," Fury pointed at Thor before moving his finger to Astrid, "And her," he answered the question.

The God looked confused, "Me?" he asked.

Astrid choked out a laugh, "I understand me. I am, after all, better than you in every single aspect and I am also a mass murderer... but him?" she walked over to her Godly friend and stood beside him.

Nick Fury inhaled a deep breath, "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town," he spoke about Thor, "We learned that not only are we not alone, we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned," he explained to the Avengers.

Thor took offence to the statement, "My people want nothing but peace with your planet," he assured the Director.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Nick scoffed, "And you're not the only threat," he glanced at Astrid, "She could wipe out the entire population of this Hellicarrier in seconds and we would have no way of stopping her," he told the team, "The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled - like vampires. There's more and more of them every week," he revealed. Although the increase wasn't drastic, yet rather slow, the vampire population did continue to grow.

Steve took a step forward, "Like you controlled the cube?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Thor, also annoyed by the man's behaviour and way of thinking, decided to speak up, "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies." He pointed out to the mortal, "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

Steve knitted his eyebrows, "A higher form?" he questioned with a wide-eyed look.

"You forced our hand." Fury argued his point, "We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent," Tony spoke up, gaining the group's attention, "Because that always calms everything right down," he said sarcastically, his head shaking in disbelief.

Fury released a scoff, "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" he told the man, attempting to prove his point.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep..." Steve responded.

"Wait, wait," the man of iron gestured at Steve Rogers, "How is this now about me?" he asked in offence.

"I'm sorry," Steve squinted lightly, "Isn't everything?" he questioned the billionaire.

Thor took a step towards Fury, "I thought humans were more evolved than this," he stated in astonishment.

Astrid shook her head, "You thought wrong," she revealed, "No matter how much time passes, humans will never change," she told him seriously, rolling her eyes in the process.

"Excuse me," Fury raised his voice at Thor's remark, "Did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

"You do it to your own planet," Astrid pointed out.

Thor nodded in agreement with Astrid's statement before adding to his point, "You treat your champions with such mistrust," he spat.

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha joined in on the argument, "SHIELD monitors potential threats."

"Yes, well," Astrid scoffed, "If I was going to take over this worthless planet, I would have done it centuries ago, don't you think?" she narrowed her eyes as a growl emitted from her throat.

Banner jeered, "Captain America's on threat watch?" he quizzed with arms crossed over his chest.

Natasha nodded, "We all are," she told the scientist.

"This is just ridiculous," Astrid fueled the argument, "I could have taken over years ago, but didn't. I am helping you, daft morons, right now, does that not mean anything?" she shook her head in disbelief. "You humans are so quick to bloody judge!" she raised her voice as everyone continued to argue, "You make one bad choice and suddenly everyone's against you!"

"Yes!" Thor agreed with the blonde, "You would not be treated this way on Asgard. Because we value those who protect us!" he added fuel to the already hot flame.

"And how many times have I aided SHIELD already!" The vampire shouted, "It's like you are _trying_ to start a war!" she accused Nick.

As the room began to quieten down, Thor spoke up, "You speak of control, yet you court chaos," he taunted.

"That's his M.O isn't it?" Dr Banner spoke up, "I mean, what are we, a team?" he questioned sceptically. "No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos," he answered his own question, "We're a time bomb."

Fury glared at the man, "You need to step away," he told Bruce, afraid he would lash out on everyone.

Tony scoffed at the suggestion, "Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" he mocked with a hum and placed his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Captain America slapped Tony's hand away, "You know damn well why," he scowled, "Back off!"

"Well, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony replied in a hushed tone, though annoyance seeped off his words.

Steve took a step towards Stark, "Yeah, Big man in a suit of armour," he circled the innovator, "Take that off, what are you?" he raised his brow at the shorter man.

Tony smiled proudly, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," he answered seriously.

Steve shook his head, "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you," he sneered at Stark, "I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself," he whispered while Tony, and everyone else in the room, listened intently, "You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony smirked at the soldier.

Steve smiled and looked over at everyone else before bringing his attention back to Tony, "Always a way out," he commented. "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero?" Tony snorted, "Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers," he reminded the supersoldier, "Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

Astrid nodded, "Made by his father, may I add..." she spoke up, deciding to take Tony's side on the matter.

Steve lifted his eyebrows, "Oh, now you've got the other 'hero's' approval," he mocked.

Astrid laughed out loud, "Oh, you're serious? Captain, I have never claimed to be a hero because I'm rather self-aware, you on the other hand..." she sucked in a breath.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he raised his voice at the woman.

"Oh, please, Rogers, you cannot seriously believe you are some hero," she laughed at the man, "What did you do? Sing a few songs, dance a little and save some American soldiers? what about the rest of the world, Captain? What about all those lives lost everywhere else. Let's be honest here, love, the only reason you saved those soldiers was that the same people captured your dear friend. I mean, I could say his name right now, and you would start bawling your eyes out," she snorted. "You are no hero. To a select few, maybe, but not to the world," she looked daggers at the super-soldier.

Steve shook his head with a huff, "At least I saved people," he countered her points, "And Bucky was a good man."

"I never said he wasn't," Astrid chuckled, "Yet, at least I can admit that I only save the ones I care about. I would not die for some mortals, in fact, the only reason I am here right now is that I wish to help an old friend. I can admit I am selfish and arrogant and over-confident, while you remain delusional, still trying to convince yourself that you are a war-hero when all you really cared about was proving your friend wrong," she smiled, "Let's be honest, you only joined the army because you wished to prove James that you can protect yourself without needing his help. Too bad so many lives were lost because of what you became..."

Steve narrowed his eyes, "What?" he breathed out.

"Oh," Astrid laughed sadistically, "Did they not tell you about the countless deaths that your creation caused? People wanted you dead, Captain, and because you are selfish and wished to be seen as something more than just a pathetic boy from Brooklyn, people died. You have more blood on your hands than you realise, Rogers - all those cities that your enemies demolished, all those soldiers who died in _your_ name... it's all on you." she spat.

"More would've died without me," he argued.

Astrid smiled, "No, more people have died in your name than you could have ever hoped to save. And SHIELD knows how bloody sensitive you are, why do you think they haven't spoken a word of this yet? You call me out, yet at least I know the exact number of people that my actions have ended the lives of... you don't."

"Yeah," Banner interrupted the argument with a laugh, "This is a team," he sucked on his teeth.

"Agent Romanoff," Nick took a step forward, "Would you escort Doctor Banner back to his..." he was cut off.

"Where?" Bruce tilted his head, "You rented my room," he reminded the director.

Fury sighed, "The cell was just in case..."

"In case you needed to kill me," Bruce cut in, putting words in Nick's mouth. "But you can't. I know, I've tried." He revealed, quietening everyone down. The group looked at him sympathetically, the vampire knowing exactly what it felt like to want to end your own life, "I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spat it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. It was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff?" He asked and reached behind him, taking the sceptre in his hands. "You wanna know how I stay calm?"

Everyone got in a fighting stance, ready to attack the man if necessary. "Dr Banner," Steve spoke up. "Put down the sceptre."

Bruce looked down, not even realising he was holding the weapon in his hands. Just then, one of the monitors began to frantically beep, "Got it." Banner spoke and began moving towards the machine, "You don't get to see my party trick after all."

"You located the Tesseract?" Thor questioned the Midgardian.

Stark looked over at the monitor that Bruce approached, "I could get there fastest," he told the team.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard." Thor argued with the human, "No human is a match for it," he looked over at Astrid, "You might be the exception," he shrugged.

The vampire shook her head with a laugh, "I hope so," she admitted, "I bloody hope so."

It wasn't long before a sudden explosion sounded in the ship, fire travelling between the corridors as one of the engines went offline. The avengers were all pushed back by the flames, all getting thrown in different places and directions by the hot and powerful flame.

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Thank you for reading!

Btw, I don't dislike Steve, I actually really like his character, but I needed to create some drama!


	10. 08. Battle: Lost

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**BATTLE: LOST**

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 **A few** minutes had passed since the explosion destroyed one of the engines. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of the team, Astrid ended up getting impaled by a scrap of metal, which knocked her unconscious for a couple of minutes. It wasn't long, yet it was long enough for the Helicarrier to get infiltrated by Loki's brainwashed soldiers.

By the time she got back up, smoke filled the corridors and the sound of gunshots being fired echoed throughout the entire ship. Screams, groans and curses sounded throughout the machine as SHIELD attempted to fight off the intruders.

But only one person, and one person alone, was on Astrid's mind: Loki. It was, no doubt, an attempt at freeing the God of Mischief and it wouldn't be long until he escaped. No matter how much she cared and worried about him, she couldn't let him get away.

So, in mere seconds, she rushed to the cell room. She arrived just in time to see Loki walk out of the cell and towards one of his minions, who had just freed him from his confinement.

With a small groan, Astrid rushed to the minion's side, snapped his neck and let his body fall limply to the floor. Loki stood before her, a small smile on his face, "My soldier," he stated while looking down at the body.

The vampire growled and pressed a button on the monitor, reopening the glass cell, "You're grounded. Go back to your room, Loki," she told him, watching as the doors opened automatically.

The God tilted his head as if contemplating whether he should listen to her or not. Of course, the answer was predictable, "No," he smiled, "I would love to, but I have much more urgent matters to attend," he told her and turned around, taking small steps away from her.

What he didn't expect, however, was the blonde to physically attack him. In the blink of an eye, the vampire grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back, forcing him against one of the railings.

Loki chuckled as the Mikaelson sent a punch his way, which he caught before her fist collided with his face, "Feisty," he spoke with a startled smile, "You have never attacked me before..." he spoke more to himself than her after pushing her arm away.

"There's a first time for everything, _my love,"_ she snorted and, while Loki watched her in surprise, she striked him with her other fist.

The God let out a grunt as his face was moved to the side at the impact. A small trail of blood leaked from his nose, which he quickly wiped with his hand. A dangerous smirk appeared on his face as he pushed himself up, prowling towards the vampire.

Astrid didn't back down. Fists were clenched at her sides, her eyes peering into his as he continued moving towards her. "Astrid," he spoke quietly, his palm resting against her cheek, "I do not wish to harm you."

A smile made it's way onto Astrid's face as her fingers wrapped around his wrist, "This will not be a fair fight, then," she winked and twisted his arm, forcing him to fall on his knees. "Kneeling before me, I see," she taunted with a small giggle.

Loki groaned at the pain which quickly spread throughout his body as he held himself up with his right arm. The vampire then booted his back, knocking him to the ground.

The God laid on his stomach, a quiet groan escaping his lips as Astrid sauntered towards him, her feet stopping beside his head and right arm, "For a God, you are fairly easy to beat," she raised an eyebrow at the Norse God.

"And you, darling, are easy to trick," he replied with a chuckle, forcing a scowl onto the girl's face. With a smile, he wrapped his hand around the woman's ankle before pulling on it and forcing her on her back.

A cough escaped the blonde's lips at the impact with the ground, air getting forcefully pushed out of her lungs. "Dick," the woman commented, making the God laugh in return.

As the raven-haired man sat up, the vampire took the chance to kick his chest, pushing him back to the ground. He stayed on his back as Astrid sat up and sat on his thighs, holding his legs in place, "I was hoping the first time we are in this position, it would be under much more pleasant circumstances..." he spoke with a smirk.

The God attacked, swinging his fist in her direction, but to no avail; the vampire easily dodged. Loki used her temporary imbalance to his advantage, switching their positions so that she laid on the ground, defenceless.

Astrid glared up at the God as he towered over her, his left arm holding her wrists in place, "That's enough," he warned with a threatening tone.

The vampire mockingly smiled at him in return, a chant leaving her lips, " _Lecutio maxima._ " Suddenly, sparks hot enough to lightly burn Loki's hand appeared around her wrist, making him pull away with a flinch and a pained groan.

Using his disorientation in her advantage, she crashed her head against his, forcing his body back as he stood on his feet, holding his hands over his forehead. The vampire stood up, her fists clenching as she charged at him once again and used all her strength to push the God against a hard, metal wall.

As his back made contact with the wall, he grabbed onto a pipe and ripped it off the wall, "You are not stronger than I am, darling," he spoke at the realisation that their strength was of similar capacity. He pushed her away with a sneer and swung the metal at her, smashing it against her head.

The Mikaelson's body turned at the impact, her arms saving her from falling to the ground as she grabbed onto one of the many monitors in the room. "You may be stronger," she told him, looking at him over her shoulder, "But I am faster." She told him, watching as his brows furrowed before she vanished from his sight.

Before the God realised what happened, the metal pipe he held in his hand was pulled out from between his fingers and used against him. Astrid smashed it against the side of his head, forcing him to take a step back at the sudden pain.

Loki clenched his jaw, his fists clenching in anger as a dagger appeared in his hand - a substitute for the metal pipe. Before Astrid could react, the dagger was thrown her way, embedding into her abdomen. She let go of the pipe, groaning at the pain as another dagger stabbed her, this time making it into the flesh of her thigh. She fell onto her knees, clutching her abdomen as her breathing turned ragged, the pain making it hard to focus.

The raven-haired God approached her, a solemn look gracing his features, "It pains me to see you this way," he murmured, briskly kneeling down before her, "You are immortal, yes?" He smiled, yet his ex-lover didn't dare reply.

With a weak cry, she wrapped her fingers around the handle of the dagger and pulled the blade out of her flesh, throwing it across the room. Loki grabbed the material of her shirt and pulled her up, pressing her back against a wall as she glared at him, her breathing frantic.

Loki's hand wrapped around her neck, squeezing gently as he began to block off her airways, "I wish it did not have to come down to this," he whispered, his eyes soft as they gazed upon her.

"What are you-" she gasped as another dagger suddenly appeared in his hand. A scoff got past her lips as she looked into his eyes, "Loki, you cannot kill me with a dagger, believe me. Many have tried and failed."

With a roll of her eyes, she attempted to push the God of Mischief away, yet he wouldn't budge. He remained in place, refusing to move as his hand loosened around her neck. No matter how hard she attempted to escape his hold, she couldn't - she wasn't sure why but at that moment, Loki was much stronger than she was.

"My blades have weakened you," he told her before wiggling the new blade before her eyes, "As will this one," he added, pressing his lips against her cheek as he drew the blade into her heart.

A pained wheeze escaped the Mikaelson's lips, her hand grabbing onto Loki's wrist for support, nails digging into his skin as her legs began to give up, shaking underneath her. Gently, he helped lower her to the ground.

"Loki," he voice came out in almost a whisper, weak and begging him to relieve her of the pain, but he wouldn't listen no matter how much he wanted to.

"I'm sorry, my dearest," was all he said as he caressed her cheek with a weak smile.

Just as he stood back up, the God of Thunder rushed inside the room, watching as an illusion of his brother walked out of the glass cell. "No!" Yelled Thor as he charged at the clone.

With a leap at the illusion of his brother, Thor landed inside of the cell, the doors automatically sliding closed behind him.

With a proud smirk, Loki approached the monitor in control of the cell and secured it.

Astrid continued to take in weakened breaths, feeling as if her lungs were collapsing on themselves. But she refused to fall unconscious, her eyes straining to keep observing the Godly brothers.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Mischief asked his brother, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

Thor glanced around the room, searching for a way to escape, yet all he found was a very pale Astrid who looked like she was minutes away from death, "No," he gasped out, "Brother, what have you done!" He exclaimed in shock, his hands resting against the glass. "I thought... I thought that out of everyone, Astrid would be the one your rage would not reach!"

A smile tugged at Loki's lips as he glanced at her whilst she attempted to pull the knife out of her chest before inevitably failing, "I would never do anything to risk her life," he argued before assuring his brother, "she will live."

The calmness of Loki's voice angered the God of Thunder. He raised his mighty hammer and smashed it against the thick glass, a huge crack appearing on the glass like a spider's web.

Loki laughed, playing with the minor before him, "Humans think us immortal," he stated, "Should we test that?" He raised his brow.

Weakly, the vampire grabbed onto a metal which stuck out of the wall and began to pull herself up, "No," she begged. Yet before she even managed to stand up on her feet, her muscles completely gave out and she fell back once again, not able to do anything but watch helplessly from afar.

With a sympathetic smile, the God of Thunder nodded at his old friend as if to say, 'I'll be alright.'

Suddenly, a guard whom Astrid had not previously noticed appeared before the black-haired God, aiming his gun at him, "Move away, please," ordered the Agent.

With his hands raised, Loki obeyed the order and moved away from the monitor, surprising everyone in the room. Phil then stalked towards the monitor, never taking his eyes off of the trickster.

"You like this?" Coulson gestured at his gun, "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does," he shrugged before clicking on a button, powering the gun up as it began to make strange whirring noises, "Do you want to find out?"

Just then, the Loki which Coulson was aiming his gun at wiggled his fingers at the agent. Confused, Phil tilted his head and before he could even react, a dagger was driven straight through his back as the illusion of Loki began to disappear. The mortal fell to the ground with blood gathering on his lips and life starting to fade from his eyes as he looked upon the vampire on the other side of the room. The two shared a small, knowing smile as Coulson's eyes slowly began to close.

With his sceptre in his hand, Loki strutted back towards the monitor with a grin on his face. Thor spoke to his brother, yet Astrid could not hear a word he said.

She let out a sigh as the world around her became blurry and the only thing she heard before losing consciousness was loud, unbearable high pitched beep. And then the world around her turned into nothingness as her eyelids finally dropped, her body becoming limp.

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Thank you for reading!!


	11. 09. A God

**CHAPTER NINE**

**A GOD**

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999 CE

 **Fresh, tall** grass gently tickled Astrid's skin as she sat on the ground, her hands playing with the grass beneath her as she sat beside Loki. The two sat in silence, the man staring ahead as Astrid's eyes were closed, enjoying the sun's warmth on her skin.

Astrid felt strange whenever she was around the mystery boy. On one hand, he was strange and closed-off, making millions of questions plague her mind at night. Yet, on the other hand, he was the sweetest and most truthful man she had ever met. He never raised his voice around her, never got angry and never put his hands on her in a violent way. She cared about him deeply as he did her, yet she was unsure of where their relationship stood.

"There is something occupying your thoughts," Loki commented, his emerald eyes landing on the girl beside him, "Would you like to share?"

Astrid's eyes opened, gazing at the raven-haired boy sitting next to her. Their eyes locked and she smiled, "It is nothing of grave importance," she assured him and turned to sit up on her knees, her body now fully turned towards the God, "There seems to be something on your mind, too, Loki," she added.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, an amused look on his face. For a God of lies and trickery he had a very difficult time hiding things from the mortal woman. Sometimes it seemed like she could read him like an open book and he wasn't sure whether he liked that or not.

Loki breathed out a laugh, crossing his legs as he maintained eye contact with the girl. He gently took her hands in his and placed them on his lap, his thumbs drawing comforting circles on her smooth skin. The witch tilted her head curiously, a small smile creeping onto her delicate features, "What is the matter, Loki?" She questioned.

He took in a deep breath, licking his lips as he continued to deeply stare into her soft green eyes, "I am Loki," he stated.

A laugh escaped Astrid's lips, "Yes, dear, I am aware of that," she responded with a raised brow.

Loki shook his head with a soft exhale, "No, darling, you do not understand," he told her, "I am Loki, my mother's name is Frigga, my father is Odin and my brother is Thor," he explained, staring expectantly into her blank eyes.

Astrid cleared her throat and pulled her hands away from Loki's, her eyes breaking the contact. She swallowed thickly, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she contemplated how to respond to such a statement.

"You do not believe me," he stated, reading the disbelief on the girl's face. His smile was now gone from his face as he looked down at the grass, regretting ever saying anything about his real identity at all.

The human let out a small, almost inaudible sigh as she took his hand back in hers and made him look back into her eyes, "It is not that I do not believe _you_ per se," she scratched the back of her neck as her nose scrunched up, "Unlike my family, I do not believe in Gods... any of them. I see them as nothing more but a figment of our imagination - a way to explain the mysteries and wonders of this world. I see it as a way to keep our egos in check, to make sure it does not overgrow our potential, which will not happen if we believe in greater beings - celestial beings." She spoke confidently, her voice not wavering even once.

While Loki enjoyed seeing the girl so confident and sure of herself, as it didn't happen often, he had to disagree with her belief, "I am afraid that is not the case, my dear," a heavy sigh left his lips, "The reason my magic is not like yours is that I am not of Midgard," he explained as he stood up and a dark, cyan mist suddenly enveloped his body.

Astrid followed, standing up as she waited for the mist to disperse into thin air as it always had done. When it did, strange clothing replaced his previously worn Midgardian clothes. Blacks, greens and silvers now covered his body, the only constant being his neatly braided hair which matched everyone else's in the village. His clothing was made of materials the girl could not ever describe, making her tilt her head as her wide eyes filled with confusion.

Astrid took a step towards him, her hand caressing the soft material which covered his body. He watched her every move carefully, gazing at her small figure as she continued to admire the strange material.

Her hand suddenly pulled away as if she was burned by his clothes. Her eyes locked with his once again as she took a step back, "I do not understand," her eyebrows knitted.

He took a step toward her, cupping her cheeks softly in his hands, "I am of Asgard," he spoke gently, afraid she would run away otherwise, "My name is Loki and I am the God of Mischief, lies and chaos," he explained slowly, careful not to bombard her with too much new information.

Her face suddenly changed from that of confusion to shock, her eyes widening and eyebrows lifting, her mouth slightly agape. Loki frowned as she pulled away from his soft hold and took a step back, making the distance between the two bigger than it already was.

"You are a God," she stated, speaking more to herself than the man who stood before her, watching her carefully.

Loki nodded, "I am a God," he confirmed with a small nod.

The witch rubbed her hands over her face, "I do not understand," her voice became shaky as she spoke, "Why would a God, such as yourself, help a pathetic mortal with her magic," she questioned, suspicious of any ulterior motives he may have, "Gods are meant to be evil and - and selfish, and self-righteous, not charismatic, caring and kind." She said, unknowingly offending and complimenting the God at the same time.

His facial expression turned neutral, "First of all, my dear, that is not true," he chuckled, "We are not evil. We prefer peace over war, we always had. And second of all, I see true potential in you, Astrid," he told her truthfully, "You a kind, powerful and clever witch. You deserve a chance at mastering your craft, even if your mother and father do not share my views. You deserve a tutor at the very least, dear," he assured her, dispersing any doubts and revealing his intentions were never ill. All he wanted to was to help the helpless mortal.

She looked up into his sparkling and hopeful eyes, hoping he wouldn't lose the only real friend he had - a companion. "I am not worthy of standing beside a God," she took another step back and began lowering herself onto the ground, kneeling before him, "I am a mere mortal who struggles at casting the easiest of spells, I am not worthy to stand by, let alone be trained by a God," her voice wavered as her eyes refused to meet his.

Loki was frozen in place, shocked by the sudden action. Never had anyone treated him as a superior and, for some strange reason, he hated it when it came from her.

He shook his head, kneeling before her in an instant. His right hand cupped her cheek whilst the left took her hands in his, "Never kneel before me or anyone else ever again, do you understand?" He scolded her, his eyes wide. When she didn't react to his words, he spoke again, "Do you understand?" He spoke louder, desperation lacing his words. This time, she nodded.

She licked her lips, "but-"

"No, Astrid," he frowned, "You are more than worthy, you always had been. I understand you do not feel that way because of how your parents treat you, but it is true," he assured her. "And please, do not treat me as someone worth your worship or as a superior. I am your equal, your friend, and always will be," he told her as his clothes changed back from Asgardian to Midgardian, "I am just Loki, after all, yes?"

❖❖❖

With a sharp and sudden inhale, Astrid awoke in a plane of sorts. She looked around disoriented, her breathing erratic and confused as she attempted to find something - anything that looked remotely familiar to her. And when she set her eyes on the God of lies, she calmed down ever so slightly. Her hand reached for her chest at the reminder of the fight between the two, but the dagger which was once embedded in her heart was now gone.

She sat up straight, fixing her posture before looking over at the man beside her, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. She was confused, disoriented and unsure of what to do.

There were multiple she could make and she didn't like any of them. She could call fury as Loki strangely did not confiscate her phone. The location could easily be tracked and within minutes the Director would be able to follow their trail. However, the hopeless look on Loki's face told her not to. His current state concerned her more than her hostage situation. He wasn't himself and she needed to know what drove him to attacking a neighbouring realm. She needed to help the man she once loved and cared for.

Careful not to startle the God, Astrid placed her hand over his shoulder, making his neck snap in her direction. "Astrid," he spoke, tears threatening to spill from his ice-blue eyes. He quickly got rid of the rogue tears, getting rid of them before she could ask questions, "How are you feeling?" He queried.

The Mikaelson shrugged, "I'm alright," she answered, her eyes staring so deeply into his, it almost made him uncomfortable. "Are you?" She voiced her concern, her eyebrows knitting together.

Loki nodded quickly, too quickly in Astrid's opinion, "I'm fine," he told her. He moved his body so that his left knee was now on the metallic bench the two sat upon and his calf resting underneath his right knee, his body now fully facing the woman who brought back many unwanted memories.

His hand reached for her left cheek, turning her face so that she looked at him. With his thumb, he rubbed off any remaining dry blood which smudged underneath her lip and nose. His touch was so gentle on her skin, she could barely feel it.

"Loki," she whispered, her fingers wrapping around his thin wrist, just now making her realise how malnourished he really was. "You can tell me," she told him, "Who did this to you?" She quizzed with a look of concern.

The God acted confused at first, hoping to trick the thousand-year-old. But the vampire had far too much experience with liars and she knew him too well to fall for the words that would fool many. "You were never one to fall for my tricks," he sighed out.

"Loki, speak to me," she urged, "I understand this is difficult and you would rather not speak of it, but sometimes-" she let out an annoyed sigh as loud ringing sounded from her pocket.

The vampire took hold of her phone and declined the call before turning the sound off temporarily. She looked back at the God with a smile, her eyes filled with concern.

"Sometimes it is better to speak about what you feel," she finished her sentence, "I will not judge you - I never had and I never will," she reminded him.

Loki exhaled sharply as his eyes closed, "His name is Thanos," he began, "He needs the Tesseract, though I know not why. All I ever wanted was to be... praised and loved like Thor," he spoke softly, "Yet all I got was lies and betrayal instead. I am hated by everyone, even my mother I'm sure," he explained as his eyes settled on his hands, refusing to look elsewhere.

Astrid smiled faintly, "Not everyone," she spoke, hinting at the lack of dislike she felt towards him.

Just as she was about to speak yet again, one of Loki's minions entered the plane through the rear hatch, "We are here, sir," the man in a black suit told the trickster God.

With a mischievous smile and a nod, Loki stood up and extended his hand for Astrid to take. Not wanting to get on Loki's bad side, Astrid placed her hand in his and obediently followed behind him.

As soon as she stepped off the metallic jet, she recognised the building they had landed on: The Stark Tower. "Fantastic," she muttered as the God led her inside the building.

Once inside, the two separated. The God of Mischief looked upon the city through one of the windows, a proud smirk on his face as he watched his minions prepare the Tesseract for something Astrid had a lack of understanding about.

The Mikaelson settled on pouring herself a drink into a glass she had filled with ice, opting to distract herself from the war which was about to take place. She let her eyelids droop as she began mentally preparing herself to side against Loki, which would inevitably happen in the near future.

❖❖❖

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think of this chapter!


	12. 10. Katerina?

**CHAPTER TEN**

**KATERINA** **?**

❖❖❖

 **A loud,** annoyed huff reached Loki's ears as he gazed out the wall-sized window. His blue eyes focused on only one person; Erik Selvig. The scientist worked on stabilising the Tesseract right outside the window, allowing Loki to keep a watchful eye on the Midgardian.

His attention was brought to the Mikaelson as another huff escaped her pink lips. She was slouched over the bar, swirling the golden drink in her glass as she hummed a quiet tune.

Loki turned, a small smile appearing on his lips as he began to approach the vampire, "Are you alright?" He raised his brow.

Astrid shrugged, "I'm fine," was all she said, slurring over her words before downing the rest of the liquid, smiling at the pleasant burn in her throat.

The God knitted his brows, stopping not too far away from her, his hands elegantly clasped behind his back, "Are you certain?" He pondered.

The Tribrid giggled, biting onto her bottom lip as she stood up. Her ankle twisted, a laugh escaping her lips as she was sent hurling forward. Loki caught her with ease before she managed to hurt herself. He let out a sharp exhale, his eyes closing momentarily before setting back on Astrid's figure, "You are intoxicated."

With a snort, Astrid wrapped her arms around his torso and let her cheek rest against his chest. A drunken smile appeared on her flushed face, "Tipsy," she corrected him in a sing-song voice, "Worry not as it will not be long before-" she hiccuped, "the toxins begin to leave my body," she answered before finally pulling away from him.

Her feet continued to wobble as she approached the stool she was previously sat on, Loki's arm constantly supporting her so she wouldn't fall. Once she was safely sitting down, his eyes settled on the fifteen empty bottles which laid on the floor.

Before he could comment on it, however, Astrid's phone began to ring, catching both of their attentions. Yet before she could answer the device, Loki's voice stopped her, "I wish to hear it," he told her, "The conversation."

Astrid raised a brow before humming, understanding why he couldn't trust her at the moment. He couldn't risk her revealing their location just yet.

Astrid nodded, turning on the loud speaker as she answered the call, "Hello?" She spoke, her words still slurring.

A weak, feminine voice reached her ears from the other side, "Astrid," the woman whispered.

Astrid's body noticeably tensed, her brows furrowed and the alcohol seemed to have left her body in mere seconds, sobering her up. "Katerina?" She replied, a frown forming on her face, "It has been quite a while, don't you think," she laughed humourlessly, "Last time I saw, or heard from you, was when you were shamelessly pulling on my brother's fragile heartstrings," she hummed, her eyes narrowing.

Loki listened intently, frowning at the harsh tone of his ex-lover's words. He could only wonder what the thousand-year-old has been through throughout her long life.

Despite her weak state, Katherine giggled sadistically, "In my defence, he was rather easy to manipulate," she defended her actions.

Loki flinched as Astrid's fist slammed against the bar, the outburst taking him by surprise, "You have some nerve, Katerina," she spat.

Katherine sucked in a breath, a pained groan escaping her lips, "Look," she sighed, "As much as I wish I could pretend I'm fine, I'm not, okay? I hurt Elijah and I know how protective you are of your family, so I get why you're mad," she spoke calmly.

Loki placed a comforting hand on the Mikaelson's shoulder, making a small smile appear on her face. "What a brave little ant you are, Katerina," she growled, "You threaten my family's lives and team up with our enemies and yet now you seek my help," she crossed her arms over her chest, "Which is strange enough because, wow, Katherine Pierce is asking for help from the family she despises the most in the entire world, so what could be so very wrong that you-"

"I'm dying," Katherine cut the vampire off.

The anger she felt towards the woman seemed to disperse in a matter of seconds, instead replaced with worry. The years of friendship the two shared were worth far more than the dispute the two were currently having. Elijah has lived through many heartbreaks and he would, without a doubt, live through many more. "What?" Was all Astrid said.

"I'm dying," Katherine repeated her earlier words, "That little bitch Elena forced the cure down my throat and turned me human," she spat, "Then, as if that wasn't enough, Silas came back to drink my blood because, turns out, it was the cure for vampirism. So now," she paused, a heavy sigh coming from her, "So now I'm ageing. So yes, as much as it pains me to say it, I need your help."

Astrid didn't say a word for a long minute, just smiling at nothing and confusing Loki who stood beside her, "Oh, this is rather enjoyable, love," the Mikaelson chuckled, "But, no, Katherine. I'm sure you will figure something—"

"I have Kol," she muttered, forcing silence from Astrid, "Well, not him, but his soul. You see, when you were, oh, so busy looking for a resurrection spell, vampires, witches and werewolves who died in Mystic Falls came back for twenty-four hours and with them, your annoying brother. But I'm not stupid, I wasn't about to just let him die. No, no. Holding a Mikaelson's souls hostage might have been the most clever thing I've ever done. I have him in a Talisman and, if you help me, I will give it to you and you will, once again, be able to see your precious big brother," she told her. Astrid could only imagine the smug look she had on her face right now.

An animalistic grown emitted from Astrid's throat, her hands clenching into fists, "Katerina, if you are lying to me-"

"I'm not," she responded through gritted teeth, "You save me and I give you your brother's soul back... or it will go down with me." She threatened.

"Alright," Astrid spoke with fake calmness, "Once my hands are empty, I will rush to your side like a Knight in shining armour and save you, just like I had done countless times before," she smiled proudly.

Katherine scoffed, "You're such a bitch. Tell me, is arrogance your default setting?" She asked, "Or is it more the psychotic maniac, oh wait, that's Kol." She laughed.

Astrid faked a smile, "For someone who's basically on their death bed, you seem strangely happy," she rolled her eyes, "But worry not, Katerina. I always get what I want and I do not necessarily want you dead," she told the doppelgänger, "Not yet at least... I'll see you soon," she finished before ending the call.

Loki frowned, "You've got quite the reputation," he chuckled, "And you are _very_ over-confident... is that a trait every Midgardian possesses?" He wondered, starting to believe it to be true after his experiences with the humans.

The blonde chuckled, "Well, you see, as a Mikaelson, I do whatever and whoever I want," she smirked, watching as Loki's jaw clenched slightly. "As one of the youngest siblings, I am given whatever I desire. And as the favourite sibling of, both, Kol and Klaus, everyone is afraid of going against me. Of course, I am more than capable of standing my ground, but I do not put my power on display so not many know what I am truly capable of," she stood up to smile at the man, "It is rare for me to not get something I want or need," she added confidently.

The God nodded, "Except for the spell you need to resurrect Kol, yes?"

Astrid's smile faltered and in a mere second, Loki was held against the wall with a hand wrapped tightly around his neck, "You dare repeat your words?" She threatened, "I _will_ find a way to bring my brother back and I do not care what or who I must get through to get there," she leaned in to whisper in the man's ear, "Even you..." she spat before letting him go.

The God of Lies gulped harshly, "I apologise," he held his hands up, "I am sure you will succeed," he spoke with a small nod of his head, though his words were not sincere.

With a huff, Astrid accepted the God's answer and turned on her heel. She sat on the stool yet again, completely ignoring Loki's existence as she picked up her phone.

Whilst the God was distracted once again by keeping a watchful eye on Dr Selvig, she opened her contacts. And with a sly smirk on her face, she sent a simple message: 'New York. Threat.' Hoping the man she trusted dearly would aid her and the Avengers in the battle that was to come.

❖❖❖

Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed reading!


	13. 11. Crumpet

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**CRUMPET**

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 **A soft** hum sounded from Astrid as she looked out the wall-sized window, watching as Tony Stark landed on the balcony of his home. Multiple bots suddenly appeared from the floor, taking off his iron suit in perfect sync with his movements.

Upon noticing the sudden arrival, Loki rushed back inside after spending the last half-hour on another balcony, located just a level lower than the one Tony landed on. He held the sceptre firmly in his hand as if afraid he was going to lose it, or have it taken away from him.

The Mikaelson rolled her eyes as the two entered the building, already knowing a battle of sarcastic comments was about to ensue. "Here we go," she murmured, playing with the empty glass in her hand.

Loki smirked at Stark, his eyes taunting the human, "Please tell me you're not going to appeal to my humanity," he scoffed.

Stark raised his brows, "Uhh," he almost laughed at the God, "Actually, I'm planning to threaten you."

"You should have left your armour on for that," The God of Mischief sneered.

"Yeah," Tony commented as he made his way down a flight of stairs, "And you've got the glowstick of destiny," he retorted.

Astrid breathed out a small laugh at the comment, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were set on Stark, analysing him as he walked in her direction, confidence radiating off of him.

He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes lifting, "Hey crumpet," he greeted her as he walked around her, now standing behind the bar.

Astrid raised a brow at the nickname, "Tinman," she riposted.

Tony smiled in amusement as he set his eyes back on the raven-haired God who was watching the entire exchange, "Would you like a drink?" he questioned. He grabbed two empty bottles and shook them at Astrid, clearly annoyed she had drunk most of his alcohol. She just shrugged with a proud smile.

"I was bored," The Mikaelson defended herself, "And alcohol is a great way to entertain yourself." Tony nodded after hearing the explanation, agreeing with her statement.

Loki then took a step forward, "Stalling me won't change anything," he spoke up, ending the conversation between the two Midgardians.

"No, no, no," Tony raised his voice ever so slightly, "Threatening," he corrected Loki. A small smile played on his lips when he turned around and walked over towards the shelf where his alcohol was left untouched, the bottles still full. "No drink? Are you sure?" he raised a brow at the God, "I'm having one... crumpet?" He looked over at her questioningly, "Actually I think you've had enough."

The vampire laughed, "It takes a lot of alcohol for me to get drunk," she shot back with a shake of her head.

As the two bickered, Loki approached one of the windows and looked out at the large city, his eyes glimmering with confidence, "The Chitauri are coming," his words quietened the two, "Nothing will change that."

When the Jotun looked back at the Midgardians, his jaw clenched in anger and annoyance. Astrid looked bored, her chin resting atop her palm as she stared at nothing in particular as if not concerned by the current situation. Meanwhile, Tony was pouring himself a glass of whiskey, not bothered by the God's words at all.

"What am I to fear?" Loki spoke hauntingly, hoping to get some kind of reaction from the two.

Tony then shrugged, finally giving Loki the attention he craved, "The Avengers," he suggested, "That's what we call ourselves. We're like a team - you're in it, by the way," he let the vampire know.

"I am?" Astrid furrowed her brows.

Tony confirmed with a firm nod, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing."

"Yes," Loki sneered, "I've met them," he reminded the human.

"Yeah," the billionaire sniggered, "It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a headcount, here. Your brother, the demigod," he spoke whilst reaching for a metal bracelet, "A super-soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assessing, a Tribrid with a thousand years of experience in slaughter, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

The God of Mischief laughed before speaking in a hushed tone, "That was the plan," he revealed.

Tony walked out from behind the bar and grabbed Astrid's forearm, pulling the vampire along with him as he approached the fallen Asgardian. "Not a great plan," he let Loki know, "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk," Tony scoffed.

Loki laughed, "I thought the beast has wandered off," he tilted his head, watching as the Midgardians continued to approach him. His expression turned into one of amusement when Astrid shook Starks hand off of her and sent him a warning glare.

The human smiled innocently at the vampire before continuing the argument, "You're missing the point," He told the deity, "There is no Throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top," he tried speaking sense into him. "Maybe your army comes, and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you," he paused to share a look with Loki, "Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." He finished with a sip of his drink.

"Are you against me, too?" Loki looked over at the Mikaelson.

Astrid nodded, "If you believe I will voluntarily let me or my family live under your control, you are mistaken," she responded, her voice remaining emotionless.

He breathed out a laugh, "I would never force you. You would rule with me, by my side... everything would be back to the way it was one thousand years ago," he reasoned with her.

"If I wanted to take over this planet, I would have done it centuries ago, Loki," she shook her head disapprovingly, "So, as much as it pains me to be on the opposing side, I must protect my family from you."

"You are angry with them," he reminded her, his brow raising.

The vampire scoffed, "I may be angry at Klaus for caring too much about some stupid Hybrids and letting Kol die as a result, but he is still my brother," she crossed her arms over her chest, "And I would rather die protecting him than let him live under your tyranny," she paused, her eyes never leaving Loki's. "And he is not the only one I am protecting. My son is more important to me than you are, Loki."

A flash of pain appeared in Loki's eyes at the words but he nodded nonetheless, understanding where she was coming from. He shifted his attention back to the human, "How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting you?" he curled his lip.

The Midgardians shared a look as Loki's sceptre began to glow brighter and before either of them could react, the top of the weapon was placed against Stark's chest. They both watched in horror as the sceptre clinked with the metal in his chest, yet nothing seemed to happen.

A sigh of relief left Tony as Loki's smirk faltered, his expression turning into one of confusion, "This usually works," he muttered.

The human shrugged, "Well, performance issues," he began, making Astrid cough to cover up the laugh which almost left her lips, "It's not uncommon, one out of five-"

Before Tony could finish his sentence, Loki's hand grabbed onto his jaw, silencing him before throwing his body across the room as if he was a mere rag doll. A loud thud followed, making the vampire wince as Tony released a pained groan, already pushing himself up.

"Loki!" Astrid raised her voice and suddenly appeared before the trickster, standing between him and the man of iron, "Enough of this nonsense!"

Loki's eyes pierced into hers, but he didn't touch her. Instead, the green mist from his magic suddenly engulfed her ankles, keeping her in place, "I will not fight you again," he whispered as he made his way toward Stark.

Astrid attempted to escape the green trap but to no avail. Loki's magic was too strong. "Loki, stop it!" she yelled, watching helplessly as the God stopped beside the human.

The God sneered at Stark, holding him up by his jaw yet again, "You will all fall before me," he spat through gritted teeth.

"Deploy!" was all Tony managed to say before Loki threw him out of the window, letting him fall to his death. As Tony hurled down towards the ground, the mist which surrounded Astrid's ankles vanished, freeing her from its restraints.

In a panic, she rushed towards the smashed window, watching as Stark's body continued to near the ground, "Are you mad!" she screamed, worry filling her eyes as she watched helplessly from the top of the tower.

Just then, a loud whistling screeched from behind them. Loki turned around un surprise, just to get out of Stark's machine just in time. But Astrid was too distracted to notice, only realising what was happening when the metal struck against her back, causing her to lose her balance and fall off. Just like Tony, she was falling to her death.

"I hate you, Tinman!" she screeched, hoping her last words would be heard by the billionaire. Sh let out a sigh, mentally preparing herself for yet another violent and agonising death she was about to experience. "Why does this always happen to me," she whispered, clenching her eyes as she neared the ground.

Before she splashed on the cement, however, Tony's cold armoured hand grabbed her by her shoulder. A pain-filled scream emitted from her at the feeling of two of her bones cracking at the harsh movement. With clenched teeth, he was dragged back to the top of the Stark tower before being carelessly thrown back inside.

She groaned, clutching her arm as it landed against the floor, "Bloody hell," she complained. Sitting up, she continued to clutch her broken arm, already feeling her bones starting to mend themselves together.

With rage-filled eyes, Loki aimed his sceptre at the scientist, but Tony was faster. Before Loki could do anything, he was blown back by the repulsor rays in Stark's armour. He fell on his back, a loud groan escaping her as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

With her bones almost healed, Astrid ran in front of Tony, holding her arms up to stop him from damaging the God further, "Enough, Stark," she warned him.

Tony let his arm fall to his side, "What side are you on?" he questioned, suspicion lacing his voice.

"Don't be daft," she spat, "Your, of course. But it just so happens I do not want him dead."

Just as she was about to expand her point and explain how, although his actions were nothing short of monstrous and that he was not the villain everyone saw him as, the Tesseract unleashed a bright beam. The two stared at the sky, watching in shock as a dark-blue opening began to form above them.

"Right," Tony commented as alien creatures began to enter the Earth's atmosphere through the portal. "Army," he spoke as he blasted off into the air and toward the threatening doorway in the sky.

Astrid's fists clenched in anger and, upon hearing movement behind her, she turned around. Her glare burned holes into Loki's figure, anger and disappointment evident in her eyes. "Loki..." she growled in an almost animalistic way.

A part of her knew she shouldn't take her anger out on him, aware that he was being controlled by an entity much more powerful than both of them. Yet her anger got the better of her and before she knew it, Loki was just another target she aimed to destroy.

Witch a sudden, harsh swallow, Loki began to lift himself up. "Dear?" he spoke in e hopeful tone, raising his arms in hopes she would not do anything drastic. Yet his hopes were proved false at her hate-filled words.

"You're dead."

❖❖❖

Astrid will finally show off her strength in the next chapter!


End file.
